 2003 AJN Table of Contents
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Health & Safety
American Journal of Nursing -
March, 2003 - Volume 103, Issue 3
House Nursing Caucus
The ANA applauds formation of a bipartisan Congressional group.
Nurses will gain more input into key legislative health care
issues, such as the smallpox vaccination program, thanks to the House
Nursing Caucus, which is the first of its kind. Formed in the U.S. House of
Representatives at the suggestion of the ANA, the caucus is a bipartisan
working group of congressional members who seek an open forum to address
issues affecting nurses.
“This caucus will serve as a clearinghouse for
information and a sounding board for ideas brought forth by the nursing
community,” said ANA president Barbara Blakeney, MS, APRN,BC, APN.
Currently, the Committee on House Administration
recognizes more than 50 caucuses, ranging in focus from the Horse Caucus to
the House Minor League Baseball Caucus. Several caucuses have been able to
raise awareness and secure action on their issues by holding informal
hearings, inviting cabinet members to speak, and participating in press
conferences.
“The ANA was surprised to learn, with issues
such as the nurse shortage and smallpox vaccinations, that a nursing caucus
did not exist,” Blakeney said. “So we contacted our friends,
Representatives Lois Capps and Ed Whitfield, to seek their help in forming
this caucus.” Capps (D-CA) and Whitfield (R-KY) were two of the
strongest congressional advocates for passage of the Nurse Reinvestment
Act.
To strengthen the House Nursing Caucus, Capps and Whitfield sent
letters in early January inviting House members to join.
“Before I was elected to the House of
Representatives, I served the people of Santa Barbara County as a public
health nurse for 20 years,” noted congresswoman Capps, who is one of
three nurses in Congress. “I do know first-hand the challenges facing
our hospitals and health care providers and the consequences if we fail to
meet them. Nurses are the backbone of our public health system. As we
struggle to prepare our nation for everyday public health emergencies, and
extraordinary events like bioterrorism, we certainly cannot afford to be
without enough nurses. That is why the creation of this caucus is so
important.”
Whitfield, who will cochair the caucus with Capps,
believes it will highlight the importance of nursing. “Nurses play a
critical role and are often underappreciated in our health care system.
Anyone who has spent time in any hospital knows how hard nurses work and
the high quality of care that they provide,” Whitfield said.
“Nurses must feel valued, and we must recruit the next generation of
nurses to care for our loved ones and ourselves.”
The ANA is encouraging nurses to urge their state representatives to join this caucus.
“The House Nursing Caucus will be invaluable to
the ANA’s work in Washington, DC, on behalf of nurses and their
patients. To have a permanent entity in Congress that focuses solely on
issues facing the nursing community will ultimately benefit every nurse in
America,” Blakeney said.
The smallpox vaccination program is expected to be
among the first issues discussed by the House Nursing Caucus. While the
vaccination of 500,000 nurses, doctors, and other health care workers began
in late January, there remain many unresolved issues, such as compensation
for lost workdays due to adverse reactions to the vaccine.
“This is an issue that should be debated and
discussed in an environment such as the House Nursing Caucus,”
Blakeney said. “I look forward to attending and to members of the ANA
participating in several of the hearings that the caucus will hold in the
108th Congress.”
Other issues the House Nursing Caucus may address this
year include the use of mandatory overtime and securing full funding for
the Nurse Reinvestment Act.
Christopher Donnellan is an associate director of the ANA’s Department of Government Affairs.
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