Nurses have a well of political power that, for some reason,
we rarely tap as a group. That’s partly because of our lack of a unified professional
voice. (Think of the splintered representation we have via the American Nurses
Association, National Nurses United, and the myriad other unions nurses have elected
to participate in.) But if you are a writer (and even if you are not) you do
have a political voice, and there's really no excuse not to be heard in the United States. Here’s a small personal example:
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| University of Virginia library Photo by Gail M. Pfeifer, RN, MA |
The law in the state of New Jersey
does not permit me to purchase a health savings account (one of the less
expensive forms of health care insurance) because I am the sole proprietor of
my own business. So when Assembly Bill No. 2171—the New Jersey Health Benefit Exchange
Act—was due for consideration by Governor Christie, I let him know I
wanted him to support it. He did not, but to his credit, he sent me a letter
explaining why. I did not buy all of his arguments, however, and I wrote back
to tell him so.
Will this particular dialogue with my governor, which I
expect may be ongoing, have any effect on my ability to purchase an affordable
health care plan? Perhaps not, but imagine if every RN in New Jersey spoke out
about this issue or about other issues in health care? And what if nurses all
over the country participated in letting their state and national
representatives know what they thought about health care reform in general and
the importance of nurses and nursing to patient care, community health, and
disease prevention in particular?
If you feel uninformed about ways to communicate your views,
teach yourself about the political
process. If you want to know what is going on in your state regarding
health care (or any other issue that concerns you), use the National
Conference of State Legislatures website to find out. If you don’t know who
your state Congressmen are, you can learn on the US House of Representatives
and the US
Senate websites. Then write to
them and let them know what you think.
Even a single
nursing voice, when gathered with others, can create a powerful chorus. Start singing with your pen!
