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.
DQ 2
Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this issue?
Verified Expert Answer and Explanation
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. What specific bills has the legislator/nurse sponsored or supported that have influenced health care
Topic 4 DQ I: Nurse Legislator
Nurse Legislator
I come from New Mexico, and unfortunately, we do not have a legislator who is a nurse at either state or federal level. However, several nurses are representatives in congress. One of the nurses is Eddie Johnson, and she is currently serving in congress (Congress. Gov 2022). Through her service, she has supported various bills in healthcare and related matters, which has improved the quality of care provided.
Importance Of The Nurse’s Role As An Advocate For Improving Health Care Deliver
Notably, most of the practices in hospitals are primarily influenced by legislation and politics. Even when nurses and hospital management do all they can to ensure quality care, they need political advocacy for the hospital to be successful. A nurse has ample experience dealing firsthand with health issues and is well versed with matters that can be experienced in healthcare.
As a legislator, the nurse ensures that most of the problems are addressed to improve health care in general (Wallis, 2015). Moreover, the nurse educates other legislators on the effect of bills that do not serve the health interests of the country or state. Therefore, it is paramount to have nurse legislatures as they offer a comparative perspective on how politics affect healthcare.
Specific Bills That The Nurse Has Sponsored Or Supported That Have Influenced Health Care
Eddie Johnson has sponsored and cosponsored several bills that affect nursing. One of the bills includes the Telehealth Extension Act of 2021, which focuses on extending the availability of telehealth and improving the quality of care across the country. Another bill cosponsored by the legislator is Access to Birth Control which aims to ease methods through which women can access birth control methods at no extra cost (Propublica 2022). If the bills go through, there will be a significant improvement in current healthcare practices.
References
Congress. Gov. https://www.congress.gov/member/eddie-johnson/J000126
Propublica. (2022). Congress Bills by Eddie Johnso. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/J000126/bills-sponsored/115
Wallis, L. (2015). In a U-Turn, the ANA Supports the National Nurse Act. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 115(8), 16.
DQ 2
Research legislation that has occurred within the last 5 years at the state or federal level as a result of nurse advocacy. Describe the legislation and what was accomplished. What additional steps need to be taken to continue advocacy for this issue?
Legislation As a Result of Nursing Advocacy
Health Policy: H.R. 1667: Dr Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act
One of the legislations that has occurred due to nurse advocacy is the H.R.1667 – Dr Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. Presented by Dr Lora Breen, the Act ensured that nurses get enough mental support when carrying out their daily activities (Library of the Congress 2021). There will be activities and grants given to nurses through the Act to prevent burnout amongst healthcare practitioners. Additionally, focusing on COVID-19, the Act ensures that all nurses experiencing mental health issues have a chance to take a break and seek help.
ANA has been advocating for the issue, explaining that many nurses are at the frontline of fighting the pandemic, and they are constantly experiencing burnout because of a lack of proper care for the nurses (ANA 2022). As a result, some of them prefer to quit, which has further affected staffing. Through advocacy, there has been extensive research on how nurses can be helped and the closest bill there is to covering their issues is the Act. As a result of the Act, nurses and other medical practitioners will enjoy quality work life as they can take care of their mental health.
Moreover, the Act recognizes the importance of good health among nurses to patients. When nurses are experiencing burnout, they are at higher risk of committing medical errors that can be fatal to the patients. Additionally, they are likely to offer little attention to the patients, even refusing to attend to their needs (Prasad et al. 2021). However, through advocacy, it is possible to understand nurse issues and ensure that they do not get in the way of their practice.
References
ANA. (2022). ANA Applauds Signing of Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act by President Biden https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2022-news-releases/ana-applauds-signing-of-lorna-breen-health-care-provider-protection-act-by-president-biden/
Library of the Congress (2021). Summary of H.R. 1667: Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act – GovTrack.us. Retrieved 11 January 2022, from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr1667/summary
Prasad, K., McLoughlin, C., Stillman, M., Poplau, S., Goelz, E., Taylor, S., … & Sinsky, C. A. (2021). Prevalence and correlates of stress and burnout among US healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A national cross-sectional survey study. EClinicalMedicine, 35, 100879.
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