A huge undertaking in cutting the high costs of health care and making it affordable for everyone means individuals must take on the responsibility to be as healthy as possible. A National Nurse can help to make this a reality by being a visible example, educating the public about healthy lifestyles, and raising awareness of health care issues in a manner that is understandable to the lay person.
Nurses are Taught to Educate
In order to accomplish this, the public has to be educated in safe and proper ways to achieve and maintain optimum wellness. This can best be accomplished through reliable, trustworthy sources. Nurses are the perfect choice. One of the nurse’s major responsibilities is to educate patients about their health status and how to achieve wellness through such means as diet, exercise, medications and treatments and healthy living. The National Nurse would help to promote "Health Care NOT Sick Care."
AP Nurses Provide Better Care
According to the American Nurses Association, research has indicated that advance practice nurses in the U.S. can provide 60 to 80% of primary routine care services as well as or better than most physicians. It is not at all uncommon for patients to be seen for routine care by a nurse rather than a physician. This is one way many practices have contained costs for years now.
Nurse practitioners have assumed a large role of primary practitioners in such areas as family practice, mental health, and women’s health throughout the country. Forty nine states and the District of Columbia now allow advance practice NPs to prescribe medications.
Nurses Save Lives
Other studies have shown that the education level of nurses in hospitals has a direct impact on the survival and mortality rates of patients. Nurses have also been shown to be the most ethical and trusted professionals year after year by Gallup.
The U.S. Surgeon General and office of Public Health Services provides research an education to the public about health issues. The black box warning on cigarettes, drugs and other commodities come from the Surgeon General. There is a Chief Nurse Officer who works for the Surgeon General.
National Nurse and the Surgeon General
The National Nurse Campaign is a grassroots effort to elevate that CNO to the National Nurse and make it a full time position. The National Nurse would work side by side with the Surgeon General to educate Americans in improving their health and achieving and maintaining wellness.
Prevention is the primary ingredient in attaining affordable health care reform. A National Nurse would work to promote the involvement of all nurses in improving the health and safety of their own communities.
National Nurse Act
In 2006, the National Nurse Act was introduced in the House of Representatives. It failed to emerge from committee. In 2010, Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) introduced the National Nurse Act of 2010. In celebration of Nurses Week, May 6-12, Americans are encouraged to honor nurses by contacting their Representatives to sign on as co-sponsor of HR-4601.
Kathy Quan - Kathy Quan RN BSN has been a home health/hospice nurse for over 30 years. She has authored five books and writes for several online ...
