MHA$/520$: Sector Stakeholders: Identifying And Cultivating AlliancesWk $4$ Discussion $-$ Developing Stakeholder Relationships I need help responding to the following classmate below:Micheal QueenIn my current role I serve as the RN and Team Lead for the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program $($BHIP$)$ for one of the Community Based Outpatient Clinics $($CBOC$)$ for the Louisville, KY Veterans Administration $($VA$)$ Medical Center. We are the Outpatient Mental Health $($MH$)$ team for our veteran population we see at our clinic and are one of seven CBOCs that serve the Louisville VA Hospital. Our primary stakeholders may be broken down by internal and external; our internal stakeholders consist primarily of the members of the BHIP team and our Tier $2$ and Tier $3$ leadership which represent the first two levels of supervision directly above our team. Our primary external stakeholders are our veteran patients and their families, all of whom depend on our team for the mental health care of their veteran family member. In addition, our secondary internal stakeholders include the inpatient mental health team that cares for our veteran patients when they require hospitalization for stabilization and medication adjustment before discharging back to the outpatient setting. When working with stake holders, the most effective strategy is working towards a common or shared goal. In the book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie talks about the importance of understanding the other persons perspective and point of view to better achieve a mutual agreement that is beneficial for both. Working with stakeholders is very similar in this aspect, as each stakeholder has different priorities, some of which may align more closely to your than others while others may not. It is important to understand what is most important to your fellow stakeholders and why so that you can better align your strengths when working together and especially when requesting assistance. The priorities of the patient and their families will be different from that of leadership or the in$-$patient provider team and must be approached, considered, and negotiated differently. The patient will always be the most important stakeholder as ultimately, they are our first and foremost priority in healthcare. Considering the recognized Patient Rights as defined by the American Medical Association Code of Ethics, patients have numerous rights including the right to self$-$determination, the right to just and equal treatment, and to have the opportunity to discuss appropriate treatment alternatives $($AMA$,$ n$.$d$.).$ This view may be conflicted when the stakeholder $($patient$)$ poses a harm of risk to themselves or others and requires a mental inquest warrant, emergency hold, or emergency stabilization services to prevent serious harm to self or others. This can be a difficult situation for families to understand as I have received calls from family members requesting we$,$ the VA$,$ do something as they feel their veteran family member is unsafe and requires assistance, but they do not meet the criteria for a mental inquest warrant or an emergency hold and they are still mentally competent. While the veteran may be making questionable choices regarding refusing to take medications, continuing to drive a vehicle, or being argumentative with their spouse or family members, these actions alone do not pose a danger to themselves or the public. I must educate them the veteran $($patient$)$ still has the right to self$-$determination and making poor choices is not against the law.