 2003 AJN Table of Contents
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Washington Watch
American Journal of Nursing -
November, 2003 - Volume 103, Issue 11
Politics and Responsibility
Lend your voice and make a difference in the 2004
elections—and beyond.
The 2004 election season
is already heating up, with 34 states holding U.S. Senate elections. At the
same time, 40 seats will be open in the U.S. House of
Representatives—meaning no incumbents are running in those races,
making the results even less predictable. By getting involved now, nurses
can help determine the outcome of these races, as well as the presidential
one.
Nurses’ political involvement—and
especially their votes—will shape legislation and regulations
affecting nurses and their patients, as it did when Congress approved the
ANA-backed Nurse Reinvestment Act (NRA) in 2002. While policymakers have
yet to fully fund the NRA, politically active nurses made the difference in
getting the Senate to consider a proposal to increase funds for nursing
programs. Building on these and other political successes, the ANA is
aggressively campaigning to educate, motivate, and mobilize nurses into an
unstoppable political force.
“Today’s nurse is becoming increasingly
aware of how important it is to pair involvement in the legislative process
with involvement in the electoral process,” says Rose Gonzalez, MPS,
RN, the ANA’s director of government affairs.
To help nurses get involved in both legislation and
elections, the ANA offers a series of political programs.
Nurses Strategic Action Team (N-STAT). This ANA-coordinated nationwide grassroots network
arms nurses with up-to-date health care policy information. N-STAT members
register online to receive regular e-mail updates and alerts, and help
advance the nursing community’s agenda by following simple
constituent communications.
Capitol Update. This
online newsletter reports on policymaking activities conducted by the ANA
and the nursing community. While the publication’s priority is to
educate subscribers about federal and state policymaking on legislation and
regulations, Capitol Update also provides guidance for readers on joining grassroots
activities.
Nurses Working in Nationwide Campaigns
(Nurses WIN): 2004. Created
to educate nurses about the importance of voter registration, ongoing
campaign volunteerism, and political communications, Nurses WIN: 2004 is
designed to help nurses get involved in any 2004 federal election with the
ultimate goal of establishing connections with elected candidates. The
first part of the ANA’s three-pronged strategy for 2003–04
calls on nurses nationwide to register to vote, mark election days on their
calendars, and participate in presidential primaries and caucuses.
Convention political trainings. Scheduled for the ANA Annual Convention (June 26 through 29,
Minneapolis), the continuing education program, Building the RN
Political Force for 2004, will describe how nurses can pair constituent
communications with political clout to influence federal policymaking and
the 2004 elections. The program will show nurses how and when to use
grassroots tools to influence policymakers, how to play a role in the
presidential and congressional elections, and how to influence politics and
legislation after the elections.
“Your involvement is about more than civic
duty—it’s about RN responsibility. History has shown us how
powerful our voices can be in the political arena,” said ANA
president Barbara Blakeney, MS, APRN,BC, ANP. “In 1999 we
succeeded in getting a law passed securing Medicare reimbursement for
advanced practice registered nurses. In 2000 we got a law passed providing
protections against needlesticks for nurses. These are just a few of the
legislative victories that we have achieved over the years and they are a
direct result of nurses’ becoming active in the political process and
coming together to elect members of Congress who care about our issues.
“Countless studies have proven that the presence
of nurses in health care settings makes a difference in health care
outcomes,” Blakeney added. “The presence of nurses in politics
has the potential to do the same.”
Learn more about these programs and join thousands of involved nurses by visiting the ANA’s government affairs Web site at www.nursingworld.org/gova/politicalpower.
Heidi Ann Ecker is a political action specialist in
the ANA’s Department of Government Affairs.
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