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An Office of the National Nurse would:
- Elevate the Chief Nurse Officer (CNO) of the US Public Health Service to full time status within the Office of the Surgeon General to become the National Nurse to enhance prevention efforts in all communities.
- Complement the work of the US Surgeon General.
- Promote involvement in the Medical Reserve Corps to improve the health and safety of the community.
- Incorporate proven evidence-based public health education when delivering prevention.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Sample Letter to Your U.S. Representative and/or Senator (Revised on October 20, 2007)
Dear Representative _______,
Thank you for your concern for our nation's health.
I am writing today to encourage you to support legislation to establish the Office of the National Nurse.
I believe the nation needs a National Nurse to lead the public to better health through preventive health measures.
Obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are primary culprits for our nation's declining health. But these diseases can be prevented. The primary job of the National Nurse is to educate the public about how to prevent these diseases and lead healthier lives.
We in the United States are fortunate to have many choices in the foods we eat, in our means of transportation, and in recreational options. While these industries have contributed positively to the economy of our country, the less obvious yet equally important outcome has been disastrous, mainly the demise of our nation's health. This progress has resulted in a growing obese, highly stressed, and sedentary population.
Unhealthy people become a liability to corporations when sick employees are unable to work; to governments overwhelmed by the costs of health care; and they become a burden to themselves and their families.
With the overwhelming concern for communicable epidemics we are overlooking the preventable epidemics destroying our nation's health. A National Nurse is a means by which to address this problem. The Office of the National Nurse and nurses with other disciplinaries would be responsible for educating individuals, families, and communities about being healthy and preventing disease.
We urge you to show your support for establishing an Office of the National Nurse.
Thank you for your consideration.
- posted by Teri Mills @ 7:00 AM
Comments:
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Who would pay the salary of yet another person to sit in a governmental office for the "national nurse"? We have public health officials and community organizations staffed by many knowledgable nurses who are already supposed to be providing these educational sessions. Without proper salaries for nurses, and adequate staffing, there is never going to be time enough for education and follow-up of the public on health care issues. Pay the nurses who are already prepared for the job, and who are already in the trenches, and proveide the staff to do a respectable job, and you will see a great difference in the public's attitude. But to set up another 'office position' & take another nurse away from the hands-on situations where they are needed, defeats the purpose of nursing and proper healthcare in my eyes.
We all know that nurses are overworked and underpaid. The problem is that there is no one at the national level to help try to make this better. Nurses are seen as handmaidens to physicians, and doctors are seen as the means to fix the healthcare crisis. This national level position will help bring the respect and recognition nurses need. Then hopefully will come better pay and more nurses.
This is a great idea. I support the idea and will spread the word to all that I know. I am a nurse case manager from Fort Lauderdale FL and see this as a natural progression for all nurses to give back to the community. Finally something that we can all get behind and support and truly show the power of the NURSE! Thanks
Anne Llewellyn, RN.C, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Anne Llewellyn, RN.C, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Great work! I will support this effort and send a letter of encouragement to my Michigan officials. This is a way of helping the profession of nursing be more visible and more engaged in the decision-making process. I see this as a vital opportunity to "speak up". A nursing perspective that focuses on health promotion and caring; empowerment of the individual to be more well; a consciousness that can bring awareness of the underlying imbalances that set in motion the chronic illnesses of today's citizenry--these are the strengths nurses can bring to the table--as can other holistic practitioners, such as naturpathic physicians, functional medicine physicians, anthroposophic doctors and nurses,osteopaths, homeopaths, etc.
Kudos to you for setting this in motion! BArbara Starke, RN, MSN, FNP, NADA ADS Trainer (Michigan)
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Kudos to you for setting this in motion! BArbara Starke, RN, MSN, FNP, NADA ADS Trainer (Michigan)
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