NRS 440 Choose a legislator on the state or federal level who is also a nurse and discuss the importance of the legislator/nurse’s role as advocate for improving health care delivery

NRS 440 Choose a legislator on the state or federal level who is also a nurse and discuss the importance of the legislator/nurse’s role as advocate for improving health care delivery

NRS 440 Choose a legislator on the state or federal level who is also a nurse and discuss the importance of the legislator/nurse’s role as advocate for improving health care delivery

Congress women Cori Bush is an example of a legislator who is a nurse as well playing apart in the important of bettering our healthcare system form the inside of government out. “In the midst of a global pandemic, she is also believed to be the first nurse representing Missouri in Washington, DC” (McSpedon,2021). Some of the bills that she has been directly correlated with the Peoples Response Act that focuses on human services aid at resume to community need during times of public need. Prior to being involved in legislator she utilized her nursing skill she learned in her professional history of mental health nursing in the state of Missouri. “Political advocacy is an increasingly significant competency of the professional nursing role due to the expectation that nurses deliver high-quality care, evaluate care outcomes, and provide leadership to integrate evidence into practice in order to improve care” (Young,2019). She is making it her mission to not only help better the healthcare system but to change the way in which we care for society as a whole. “Bush is also an activist and organizer, most notably as part of the Black Lives Matter movement during the protests that followed the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014” (McSpedon,2021). She is making it her mission to put light on the health and wellbeing of the minority population within her state as well as throughout the county. “She believes nurses are ideally suited for legislative roles because “we’re taught how to lead. We’re taught how to empower, to educate, and to advocate, and that’s what we need today in leaders.” (McSpedon,2021).

Reference:

 McSpedon, Corinne. In: American Journal of Nursing. March 1, 2021, Vol. 121 Issue 3, p58, 2 p.; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, WK Health, 2021. Language: English, Database: Gale Literature: Book Review Index

Young, Judith; The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, Vol 50(4), Apr, 2019 pp. 150-152. Publisher: SLACK; [Journal Article], Database: APA PsycInfo

I enjoyed your post and research, I also wrote about Cori Bush. In reading over the other the responses to this weeks discussion post, I noticed most of the representatives mentioned were female. It made me wonder about male legislators and historical figures we may be overlooking. Medicine began amongst medicine men, shaman and healers. It then transitioned to monks and priests. The military had male nurses in every war long before women were allowed to fill that role. Only then did the title change from male nurse to corpsman or medic. Men in Nursing asserts that most historians reporting on nursing history are female and that has led to a biased version of our overall history. Additional oversites are the lack of mention of male patron saints of nursing. There are 8 in total, 4 female and 4 male. The book goes on to blame Florence Nightingale with the creation of her school, she effectively ended men in nursing for the time. There is some truth that the establishment of Florence Nightingale School of Nursing in London coincided with males in the field finding other roles.(O’Lynn & Tranbarger, 2007) Florence Nightingale wrote in a letter in 1867, “The whole reform in nursing both at home and abroad has consisted of this: to take all power over the nursing out of the hands of men, and put it into the hands of one female trained head and make her responsible for everything” (O’Lynn & Tranbarger, 2007). A different perspective and an interesting read. I also discovered some information on Travis Nelson RN, he is a fulltime union representative with the Oregon Nurses Association and Oregon State Representative. He is a champion of African American and LGBTQ rights. He is fighting to protect abortion rights and expand Medicare (Nelson, 2022).  

References

O’Lynn, C. E., & Tranbarger, R. E. (2007). Men in nursing: History, challenges, and

opportunities. Google Books. Springer Publishing. Retrieved May 31, 2022, from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=-Ag7TqTyIC0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=O%27Lynn,+C.+E.,+%26+Tranbarger,+R.+E.+(2007).+Men+in+nursing:+History,+challenges,+and+opportunities.+Springer+Pub.+&ots=50jAodIYIt&sig=AsvB9mO2CJPjwVLeXPRWf6n2Ajg#v=onepage&q&f=false.

State of Oregon: Voting & Elections – Voting & Elections. (2022). Travis Nelson, RN. State Representative, 44th district. Retrieved January 21, 2023, from https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide/english/travisnelson.html

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our Verified MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS NRS 440 Choose a legislator on the state or federal level who is also a nurse and discuss the importance of the legislator/nurse’s role as advocate for improving health care delivery:

Rep. Lois Capps, an RN from California and a Democrat in Congress, has fought to advance legislation like the Nurse Reinvestment Act that would solve the nation’s rising nursing shortage. The Nurse Reinvestment Act, or NRA, is an act of Congress that modifies the current Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, which governs nursing education. In order to address the growing nursing shortage brought on by aging nursing staff, retention issues brought on by a stressful work environment, and difficulties attracting young people into nursing, this legislation was adopted in 2002 (Grand Canyon University, 2018).

The legislation requires the following steps for nurse recruitment and retention: a student debt payback and scholarship program, a nursing internship and residency program, career ladders to promote professional progression, grants for nurses seeking education in senior care, loan cancellation programs for students in advanced degree programs who agree to serve as nursing school teachers, and public service announcements promoting the nursing profession (Brom et al., 2018).

Despite the issue not yet being resolved, the Act has increased public awareness of the nursing shortage. It made the issue widely known. It inspires people to look for and research nursing shortage solutions.

References

Brom, H. M., Salsberry, P. J., & Graham, M. C. (2018). Leveraging health care reform to accelerate nurse practitioner full practice authority. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(3), 120. doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000023

Grand Canyon University (Ed.), (2018). Trends in health care: A nursing perspective. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs440vn/trends-in-health-care-a-nursing-perspective/v1.1/

Lauren Underwood, MSN/MPH, RN, FAAN, is one of only three nurses currently serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she represents Illinois’ 14th District. The Momnibus Act, is a bill that Lauren supported The Momnibus is a collection of 12 bills to comprehensively address every dimension of the Black maternal health crisis that we face in this country (Underwood, 2021). This bill was created because moms are dying at the highest rate in the developed world and rate is rising. This situation is detrimental for all women and birthing people, the crisis is most severe for Black moms, who are dying at 3 to 4 times the rate of their white counterparts.

Bill summary: The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act will:

1. Make critical investments in social determinants of health that influence maternal health outcomes, like housing, transportation, and nutrition.
2. Provide funding to community-based organizations that are working to improve maternal health outcomes and promote equity.
3. Comprehensively study the unique maternal health risks facing pregnant and postpartum veterans and support VA maternity care coordination programs.
4. Grow and diversify the perinatal workforce to ensure that every mom in America receives culturally congruent maternity care and support.
5. Improve data collection processes and quality measures to better understand the causes of the maternal health crisis in the United States and inform solutions to address it.
6. Support moms with maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
7. Improve maternal health care and support for incarcerated moms.
8. Invest in digital tools like telehealth to improve maternal health outcomes in underserved areas.
9. Promote innovative payment models to incentivize high-quality maternity care and non-clinical perinatal support.
10. Invest in federal programs to address the unique risks for and effects of COVID-19 during and after pregnancyand to advance respectful maternity care in future public health emergencies.
11. Invest in community-based initiatives to reduce levels of and exposure to climate change-related risks for moms and babies.
12. Promote maternal vaccinations to protect the health and safety of moms and babies. (Momnibus,

Reference:

Momnibus – Black Maternal Health Caucus- House.gov. Blog.

Underwood, L. (2021). A Conversation with Congresswoman Lauren Underwood Begins Georgetown’s National Nurses Week 2021 Celebration . Georgetown School of Nursing.

Legislation is a fundamental tool in improving and promoting health delivery. One of the legislators at state level is Lois Capps, an RN and educator from the state of California. This democrat worked hard to advance legislation such as the Nurse Reinvestment Act towards addressing nurse shortages in the United States of America. She also contributed towards the Affordable Care Act. Lois Caps advocated for the conservation of the environment from a public health

perspective. She encouraged nurses to be actively involved in politics because she said there is a relationship between nursing and politics. According to Lois Capps, there is need for evidence based practice in nursing and hence she introduced the National Pediatric Research Network Act which allowed the NIH to support, fund and coordinate data from research on pediatric diseases which are rare (Donnellan, 2018). She advocated that there should be limits on taxpayer funding for abortions except for cases such as rape, incest or if it’s life threatening to the mother. She introduced laws to eliminate underage drinking, decentralize defibrillators to remote communities and better mental health services (Towle, 2019). After losing a daughter from cancer, Lois Capps engaged more in issues on preventive measures in health care. She educated the public about the signs and symptoms of stroke and provided financing for treatment of the disease. She went on to introduce the STOP stroke bill. Lois Capps also introduced the HEART for Women Act where people where taught about cardiovascular disease prevention measure and she provided treatment funds for women suffering from the disease. Lois Capps is a nurse legislator who has greatly influenced the health care system through enacting several laws in pediatrics, stroke and cardiovascular disease among others.

References

Donnellan., C. (2018). House Nursing Caucus: The ANA applauds formation of a bipartisan Congressional group. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 103(3): p 29.

Towle, M. (2019). Keeping Faith in Congress: Why Persistence, Compassion, and Teamwork Will Save our Democracy. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 46(2), 369-370

Great post. It is heartbreaking to see nurses underutilizing policy-making opportunities. Policymaking should start in workplaces. 

Nurses should utilize professional associations as an opportunity for policy advocacy. Many RN and APRN professional organizations, including the American Nurses Association, represent the nurses. To reform nursing policies that can be thought to be unfavorable to their working conditions and safety, nurses can utilize these groups. Nurses can voice complaints about their jobs and request changes through professional groups. When policies are modified, the professional bodies see that the changes take effect immediately. Nursing organizations provide crucial forums for policy advocacy, participating in political processes to propose, implement, and enforce structural and policy reforms to benefit populations. Another opportunity is participation in policymaking by nurses at distinct levels. All nurses can fully participate in policymaking. In healthcare, policy and politics have an everyday impact on nurses. Nurses are uniquely positioned to understand how health policy affects patients and communities because they comprise most of the global healthcare workforce. Any nurse who wants to see a change in the profession can do so, whether inside their organization or through nursing associations, governmental organizations, or elected politicians and policymakers. The development and implementation of health policies might involve input from every nurse. Nurses are crucial health policy activists. Nurses are crucial in sharing firsthand experiences of how health policy affects patient care since they are frontline team members attempting to satisfy the individual needs of numerous patients (Chiu et al.,2021). 

References 

Chiu, P., Cummings, G. G., Thorne, S., & Schick-Makaroff, K. (2021). Policy Advocacy and Nursing Organizations: A Scoping Review. Policy, politics & nursing practice, 22(4), 271–291. https://doi.org/10.1177/15271544211050611 Links to an external site.    

As a bedside nurse, it can seem daunting thinking of legislation or the politics related to healthcare. It is often easier not paying attention to what goes on behind the scenes. However, if it were not for legislation, healthcare would not be a regulated profession. Also, legislation keeps healthcare workers safe from the woes of unsafe staffing ratios and other job demising situations. During Covid-19, it became obvious what a pull politics have on healthcare. Due to the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), the government had to get involved. They also had to keep healthcare workers safe with CDC requirements on quarantining and the proper PPE to keep us safe from the (at the time) unknown virus. Many legislators exist that put their focus on safe healthcare and protection of healthcare workers. However, those who are retired nurses know what it is like to be a nurse in the current healthcare landscape. This gives them a step-up in providing legislation to improve healthcare and nursing practice. 

For example, Eddie Bernice Johnson is a democratic representative for the state of Texas. She is a retired psychiatric nurse and has served in congress since the 103rd congress in 1993 (History, Art, Archives, n.d.). She is known for many bills that help healthcare workers. One such bill is “H.R. 7814 – Health Care Providers Safety Act of 2022” (117th Congress, 2021-2022). What this bill addresses is the safety of healthcare workers. It allows for “grants” to be put in place for healthcare providers for increased “physical and cyber security of their facilities, personnel, and patients” (117th Congress, 2021-2022). As healthcare changes to its next phase, individuals are becoming easily disgruntled and are becoming more abusive towards health care professionals (Kingston & Kang, 2022). Thus, this bill provides health care providers with the funds needed to protect themselves and their patients from harm. Additionally, with the world becoming even more cyber aware, hacking happens more and more (Torrence, 2022). This bill allows for funds to increase cyber security to protect health information. 

References:

117th Congress (2021-2022). H.R. 7814 – Health care providers safety act of 2022. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/7814/text?r=20&s=1

History, Art, Archives (n.d.). Johnson, Eddie Bernice. https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/15852

Kingston, M. B., & Kang, C. S. (2022). Violence against health care workers is on the rise. They need protection. Stat news. https://www.statnews.com/2022/11/11/health-care-workers-deserve-protection-from-violence/

Torrence, R. (2022). Cyberattacks top list of 2022 health tech hazards alongside supply chain problems, damaged infusion pumps. Fierce healthcare. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/tech/cyberattacks-top-list-2022-health-tech-hazards-ecri-report-alongside-supply-chain-problems

Nurses play vital roles in all stages of policy development. They develop and influence policies in their capacities that improve the population’s health and the nursing profession. Lauren Ashley Underwood is a legislature who is a nurse by profession. She is a congresswoman of District 14, Illinois, in the 116th congress. She graduated from the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University, where she did her bachelor’s and master’s degrees, respectively. She served as a senior advisor at the United States Department of Human and Health Services in implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In 2017, Underwood announced her candidacy while serving as a senior director at another unit. She was elected into congress in 2018. During her first tenure, she introduced more than four bills that passed house and were signed into law by the then US president, Donald J Trumph. One of her proposed bills is the HHR 3525 US Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act (USFLI, n.d.). The bill directs department of homeland security to improve procedures and approaches for medical screening interventions for persons interdicted by the US government and recommend necessary corrective actions. The bill also required the establishment of an electronic record of individuals . The act aimed to ensure individuals do not enter the nation with conditions or biohazards that would jeopardize the government or the nation’s health. In addition , the more aggressive screening will enhance early access to healthcare services and reduce the mortalities associated with diseases from foreign countries.

The congress person also introduced HR 5780 Safe Communities Act of 2020 in the 1116th congress, which passed the house and was signed into law (USFLI, n.d.). The act requires the CISA to engage owners and operators of critical infrastructure. The bill requires CISA to avail a platform where these owners and operators can access vital information on security guidance, best practices, and other content as found significant by the CISA. The owners and operators include healthcare professionals, especially state and national government health infrastructure. By availing of information, CISA will enhance the safety of communities and will protect the local, state, and critical national infrastructure, including health. Nurse legislatures can thus play vital roles in promoting the population’s health by developing and influencing state and federal policies.

Reference

US Federal Legislative Information. (n.d.). H.R.3525- US Border Patrol Medical Screening Standards Act. Congress. gov. Retrieved 17th January 2023.

US Federal Legislative Information. (n.d.). H. R. 5780-Safe Communities Act of 2020. Congress. gov (n.d). Retrieved 17th January 2023.