Writing Homework Help

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.

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With power in numbers, nurses have great potential to influence health care policy and legislation, impacting change. Nurses are advocates for the people and are in a unique position to communicate these needs at state and federal levels. Nurses can take part in committees to focus on initiatives that improve conditions for patients and nurses. Nursing at the political level is crucial to communicate and advocate needs in healthcare. Legislative efforts to improve the safety patients and nurses can be supported by nurses in legislation (Helbig, 2018).

Congresswoman Laren Underwood serves Illinois 14th Congressional district sworn into the 116th U.S. Congress on January 3, 2019. She is the first women, person of color, and millennial representing her community in Congress. On top of that, she is the youngest African American woman to serve in the United States House of Representatives. Prior to her election in Congress, she worked with a Medicaid plan in Chicago ensuring high-quality, cost-effective care. She served as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), helping communities prevent, prepare, and respond to disasters, bioterror threats, and public health emergencies across the country. She helped implement the Affordable Care Act as a career public servant at HHS (American Nurses Association, 2021).

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Eddie Bernice Johnson is the first registered nurse elected to Congress and can be counted among the most famous nurses in history because of her outstanding accomplishments in that capacity. Ms. Johnson was born in 1935 and grew up in Waco, Texas. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing at Texas Christian University and, in 1976, a master’s degree in public administration from Southern Methodist University. Ms. Johnson’s nursing career was spent in the psychiatric field. After obtaining her advanced nursing degree, she served as chief psychiatric nurse and psychotherapist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas, Texas. She held that position for 16 years before deciding to enter politics. In 1972, Eddie Bernice Johnson won a seat in the Texas House of Representatives and became the first African-American woman from Dallas ever elected to public office (Petiprin, 2016).

During her tenure, she has advocated for women, children and families, and President Jimmy Carter appointed her to serve as regional director of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1977. She later became a business consultant and again was elected to Congress in 1992, after serving in the Texas Senate since 1986. Johnson served on a healthcare task force and, along with fellow nurses, helped colleagues understand the Affordable Care Act, the effect insurance companies have on healthcare costs, and the expense and lack of follow-up associated with treating primary care patients in Eds (Johnson, 2017). In 2017, Johnson introduced the National Nurse Act of 2017, which would designate the Chief Nurse Officer position of the U.S. Public Health Service as “The National Nurse for Public Health.” She described the importance of the bill stating that the National Nurse Act of 2017 is a common-sense, cost-effective way to improve the health and wellness of all Americans. As a registered non-practicing nurse whose political career began in nursing, I know first-hand how national policy can sometimes fail or inhibit nurses working in the field. Therefore, establishing a National Nurse, who would work alongside the Surgeon General, would help advocate for nurses and in turn advance healthcare for the many Americans who see nurses every day (Johnson, 2017).

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Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry; with almost four million registered nurses, we provide a strong voice for patients and staff, leading to safe, quality care. According to Helbig (2018), nurses are positioned to positively impact policy and legislation. A former nurse who made a positive impact in this country is Democratic U.S. Representative Karen Bass. She won California 37th Congressional District, started her career as a licensed vocational nurse. Rep. Bass credits what she learned at the bedside made her a good legislator (Campaign for Action (2018). She was a big supporter of the Affordable Care Act and pushed hard to get benefits for the most vulnerable population in California. Provided an example, when working in the emergency room, patients would come in with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and could not get health insurance due to pre-existing conditions (MSNBC All In Interview with Rep. Karen Bass, 2017). Rep. Bass also supported and commended President Biden for purchasing and distributing five-hundred billion Pfizer vaccines to low- and middle-income countries all over the world to combat the Covid-19 pandemic (Rep. Bass 0n President Bidens Vaccine Distribution Plan, 2021).

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