Assignment Instructions
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?
Sample Answer
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 an advocate for improving health care delivery.
One of the nurse legislators is Senator April Weaver who was elected to serve in the 14^th^ Senate District of Alabama in July 2021. From 2010 to 2020, April served the House of Representatives in Alabama's 49^th^ district. Her service in the House of Representatives awarded her an appointment as the regional director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Regional IV by Former President Donald Trump. Overall, she has 25 years of experience as a healthcare administrator. Nurses are well positioned to advocate for legislation that improves healthcare delivery as they are the biggest workforce in the United States. They are usually in close interaction with the patients and loved ones as they act as the bridge between the patients and other healthcare team members. Nurses provide unique experiences and insights that are necessary to make the relevant modifications in care delivery (Flaubert et al., 2021). In the policy-making arena, nurses provide the important information obtained from the patients and from their expertise that guides the formulation of policies.
What specific bills has the legislator/nurse sponsored or supported that have influenced health care?
April Weaver has sponsored a lot of bills that influence the healthcare system. She introduced SB25 which required the Board of Nursing (BON) to clarify the scope of practice and the disciplinary actions of the certified nursing support. April introduced SB62 which dictated tax exemption for menstrual hygiene products, maternity clothing, baby formula, baby supplies, and diapers (Bill Track 50, n.d.). SB159 is another bill introduced by April Weaver that provided criminal and civil immunity for damage and death of the embryo provided to persons during the process of in vitro fertilization and SB222 required the BON to set aside funds to provide financial assistance to licensees. Other bills introduced by April Weaver are the Rural Hospital Investment Program which provides tax credits for donations in the rural hospitals and SB244 which requires expediting licenses and the checking of the criminal background of the physicians by the Board of Medical Examiners (Bill Track 50, n.d.).
References
Bill Track 50. (n.d.). State Senator April Weaver. BillTrack50. https://www.billtrack50.com/legislatordetail/6157
Flaubert, J. L., Le Menestrel, S., Williams, D. R., Wakefield, M. K., & National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). The Role of Nurses in Improving Health Care Access and Quality. In The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity. National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK573898/