Paper on current political issue...

[werlp]

For my RN-to-BSN class I have to write a letter to a politician expressing my view on a political issue which impacts nursing and the current healthcare system. Anyone have any good issues or know of a place where I can access some of these issues??? I looked at my state (PA) nurse association website and I have to pay in order to view this area (which I won't do). Thanks for any assistance!

Lisa

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

Try here:

http://www.pennanurses.org/pac/

[d'cm]

Don't you think the current Healthcare reform debate relates to nursing? Scan thru the table of contents on this one bill .. http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/AAHCA09001xml.pdf

[Chico David, BSN, RN]

For info on a number of interesting legislative areas, look here:

http://www.calnurses.org/legislative_advocacy/

If I were going to pick one for a paper, I'd try something narrower than the big area of health care reform and look at one of two interesting issues:

1. Presumptive eligability: Currently, here in California and likely other places too, police and fire fighters have what is called "presumptive eligability" on a number of illnesses. Simple example: if a firefighter gets lung disease, there is an automatic presumption that it was caused by his job, even if he smoked 3 packs a day for 30 years.

Nurses, who have high rates of back injury and exposure to a number of infectious diseases have no such protection, and here in California are fighting for it.

2. Lift teams: legislation that would require hospitals to have specailly trained and equipped teams to lift difficult patients rather than leaving it to wreck the backs etc of nurses.