Health Policy Advocacy

ONS Connect, Oct 2009 by Wyatt, Erin

Oncology Nurses Make a Difference

As an oncology nurse, you make a positive difference in the lives of your patients every day, whether at the bedside; in a clinic, infusion center, or radiation center; or elsewhere. You might affect hundreds or even thousands of patients at your institution, but did you realize that as a nurse you also have the power to improve the lives of people with cancer across your state or throughout your country? By becoming an advocate for health policy and letting your thoughts be heard, you can bring about change in the delivery of health care.

Nurses in Washington

ONS member Rajni Kannan, RN, NP, a nurse practitioner at the Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City, had seen the effects of cancer personally and professionally and wanted to become more involved in improving access to care for patients. With encouragement from her mentor and fellow nurse practitioner, she attended the Nurse in Washington Internship (NIWI) program in February 2009.

NIWI is a three-day program in which participants, or interns, learn more about the legislative process. Interns receive advocacy training and learn from expert nursing advocates how to have effective visits with policy makers. They also have the opportunity to meet with their representatives and senators on Capitol Hill.

Kannan's specialty area as a nurse practitioner is melanoma. While at NIWI, she worked with a member of Congress on a bill that would impose stricter regulations on tanning salons. One of her most memorable experiences was talking with legislative staffers about tanning beds and seeing how excited they got discussing a topic about which she is very passionate. Kannan shared patient stories with the young staffers, many who were in their early 20s and had not yet had a personal experience with cancer.

During her time on Capitol Hill, Kannan found out that meeting with her legislators was the easy part.

"Follow-up is the hardest thing," Kannan admits. "After you get home, you need to keep in touch with your legislator to make sure things are followed through."

Also, she encourages nurses to get involved even on a smaller scale, at the local level. "Sometimes making things happen locally is more beneficial than traveling to Washington."

For nurses who might be interested in taking a more active role in advocating health policy, Kannan has some words of wisdom. "When taking part in something like NIWI, nurses need to have a unified front. Your presence as a group needs to be seen, no matter what your specialty."

Nurses from all areas of health care take part in NIWI, making it easy for different individuals with their own agendas to try to dominate the efforts being made. This can make it appear to members of Congress that nurses are not always working together. Kannan stresses, "Go to NIWI, and when you go, know that you are going to advocate for all areas of nursing."

Kannan plans to continue advocating for health policy changes where they are needed. She has become the health policy advocate for her local ONS chapter and one day hopes to become a nursing healthcare advisor.

"During my schooling as a nurse and nurse practitioner, no one told me about all the different avenues we can follow as nurses. This is an experience that we need to know and learn about. We need to focus on this. We learn how important our voices are and that one person can make a difference," Kannan says.

An Insider Look

An oncology nurse who has a direct influence on health policy is Peggy Welch, RN, BS, from Bloomington, IN. Welch began working as a staff nurse on the inpatient oncology unit at Bloomington Hospital in 1996. Two years later, she was elected as a state representative in the Indiana General Assembly. Welch continues to work on an as-needed basis on the oncology unit when the House is not in session. She said that her work as a cancer nurse helps to keep her grounded as to what's really important.

There's no question that Welch has made a positive difference in the lives of patients with cancer.

"As a nurse, I get to touch one person's life at a time, which is a privilege," Welch says. "As a legislator, I get to make a difference for whole groups of people - which is also a privilege."

In her legislative position, Welch serves on the two most active House committees: Health and Ways and Means. During the 2009 legislative session, one of her accomplishments affected people with cancer who wish to participate in clinical trials. Working closely with the American Cancer Society and health insurance providers, Welch authored H.B. 1382. This legislation, which was signed into law by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, addresses participation barriers sometimes created by insurance providers.

Additionally, Welch helped to shepherd two Senate bills through the House and eventually into law. S.B. 437 provides reimbursement parity of oral chemotherapy with IV chemotherapy. S.B. 554 expands Indiana's Breast and Cervical Cancer Program, thus increasing the state's ability to provide treatment for low-income women.