health policy advocacy: how you as a nursing leader can bring about change leslie greenberg, rn,...

Health Policy Advocacy: How You as a Nursing

Leader can Bring About Change

Leslie Greenberg, RN, MSN, OCN®Health Policy Manager

Oncology Nursing Society

Objectives

•Identify the ONS Health Policy Agenda

•Distinguish between “grass roots” and “grass tops” approaches

•Identify how you as leaders can take an active role in bringing about change

Why Be Involved?

•Nurses have power in knowledge

•Nurses have power in numbers

•Nursing has the power of the profession to shape health care

•Nurses have the power of being a true patient advocate

There Ought to be a Law!!

Turning Outrage Into Action

TYPES OF ADVOCACY

Patient – doing what oncology nurses do everyday

Legislative – impacting the proposed laws and amendments being considered by the Congress

Regulatory – seeking to influence the rules and regulations that implement federal laws (e.g., submitting comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)

Media – using the media to influence public policy deliberations (e.g., op-eds, TV or radio ads)

Legal – employing lawsuits to effect change (e.g., suing the tobacco industry)

Ways to Impact Public Policy

•Direct “lobbying” (ONS Health Policy Manager and Associates)

•Grassroots advocacy (ONStat – ONS members as constituents)

•“Grasstops” advocacy (ONS staff and volunteer leaders and REACH Team members)

•Media advocacy (e.g. LTEs, ads, op-eds, etc.)

•Coalition work

•Involving “patients” as advocates

Setting ONS’s Annual Health Policy Priorities

Five factors taken into consideration when reviewing issues:

(1)ONS mission(2)ONS goals & objectives(3)ONS positions/policies(4)Is there a unique role for ONS to play?(5)What is the political environment?

Setting ONS’s Annual Health Policy Priorities

Annual timeline:

December – ONS Health Policy Manager reviews the current agenda and revise it based on Congressional action, emerging issues, and political landscape

January – ONS Health Policy Manager presents the revised agenda to – and discuss it with – the ONS Board of Directors which suggests changes

February – ONS Health Policy Manager make final edits/modifications to the agenda and ONS Board gives its final approval

February through December – ONS Health Policy Manager and Associates work to implement the agenda

ONS 2008 Health Policy Priorities

Three thematic areas of focus:

1.Bolster the Nation’s Nursing Workforce to Safeguard Public Health

2.Advance and Ensure access to Quality, Comprehensive Cancer Care

3.Promote and Prioritize Tobacco Cessation


Bolster the Nation’s Nursing Workforce to Safeguard Public Health

• Boost Funding for Federal Nursing Workforce Programs

• Ensure Advanced Practice Nurses Can Provide Care Under Federal Programs

• Expand Nursing School Faculties to Meet Current and Expected Needs


Advance and Ensure Access to Quality, Comprehensive Cancer Care

• Increase and Ensure Sufficient Medicare Reimbursement for the Full Range of Cancer Care and Oncology Nursing Services

• Enact the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

• Ensure Access to Clinical Trials

• Boost Funding for Cancer Research, Prevention, Education, Awareness, and Control Programs


Promote and Prioritize Tobacco Cessation

• Enact the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act to grant the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate all tobacco products

• Ensure Access to Tobacco Cessation Therapies and Counseling

Other Congressional Action on Health Care

• Permitting the federal government to negotiate Medicare Part D prices with pharmaceutical

• Expanding federally funded stem cell research

• Reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program

• Reforming Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

ONS Coalition Activities

• Appropriations

• Nursing policy and practice issues

• Tobacco control

• Research matters

ONS Appropriations Coalition Activities

• National Coalition for Cancer Research

• Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief

• Health Professions Nursing Education Coalition

ONS Nursing Policy & Practice Coalition Activities

• Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief

• Coalition for Patients’ Rights (focused on state level scope of practice attacks)

• Informal coalition of advanced practice nursing organizations and interests (e.g. ACNP, NAPNAP, etc.)

ONS Tobacco Control Coalition Activities

• Partners for Effective Tobacco Control

• Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

• Other public health organizations (e.g. American Public Health Association)

ONS Health Policy Advocacy Representatives & Leaders

• ONStat – ONS electronic grassroots advocacy program – If an ONS member in good standing and

have an email address, you can join– Complete an ONStat form tonight or– Change your profile settings on-line at

www.ons.org

• State Health Policy Liaisons

http://www.ons.org/


• Capitol Gang – ONS members in the greater DC area who volunteer to assist with local health policy activities on an as-needed basis– ONS member in good standing– Live within a few hour drive to Capitol Hill– “Trained” in advocacy – Able to represent ONS well at public events

such as hearings, coalition meetings, etc.


• REACH Team – Recruiting, Educating, Advocating and Communicating Health Policy– Piloted in 2006 in select states to cultivate

“grasstops” ONS leaders to develop relationships with key Congressional offices:• California• Florida• Iowa• New York• North Carolina• Ohio• Pennsylvania• Texas


• ONS Staff and Board Members– ONS President, President Elect and CEO travel to DC a few

times a year to visit Capitol Hill– ONS Board Members reach out to their Members of

Congress to develop relationships and garner support for ONS priorities

• ONS Health Policy Manager and Associates– Engage in direct lobbying– Participate in coalition activities– Support and assist ONS advocates– Monitor legislative and regulatory activities– Develop resources, correspondence, regulatory comments,

action alerts, etc.

How to SupportONS’s Health Policy

PrioritiesJoin ONStat and Help Recruit Others

• ONS’s grassroots electronic advocacy network makes it easy and effective to weigh-in with elected officials

• The Legislative Action Center – www.onslac.org – does all the work for you – pulls up Members of Congress, gives you a template e-mail, and with a click of a button, sends the message directly to Capitol Hill

• Complete the ONStat form today

• Ask your colleagues to complete a form and/or change their email preferences under their ONS profile on-line

http://www.onslac.org/

How to Support ONS’s Health Policy Priorities

• All e-mails, faxes, letters, calls, postcards, petitions, etc. are counted

• Personal handwritten letters suggest a high level of priority and importance (send by fax or hand-deliver to local offices)

• Keep a copy of your message in case you need to follow up

• Anyone can use the ONS Legislative Action Center, so share the information with colleagues, family, and friends

Respond to ONS Action Alerts and Distribute Them to Others


Call Your Members of Congress

• Phone calls allow you to weigh-in directly and quickly, particularly on an urgent matter – just be sure to ask for a response, and give you contact information to the staffer

• Just dial the Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121, and ask to be transferred to your Senators, or your Representative

* Not sure who represents you – just put your zip code in the Write to Congress/Find Your Reps portal box at www.onslac.org, and the Legislative Action Center will give you your state and district-specific information



Meet with Your Elected Officials

In person meetings are very effective and send a message that you are engaged

in the public policy process and will hold your elected officials accountable


Establish a relationship with Elected Officials and/or Their Staff

• It is easier than you think to get to know your elected officials – seek a meeting, follow-up with a thank-you letter, and communicate regularly (but not too often)

• Taking the time to become acquainted with Members of Congress and their staff helps ensure that when you email, call, write, or visit in the future that your input is valued highly

Have Your Voice Heard at Home

• Attend a town hall meeting

• Submit an op-ed piece or letter-to-the-editor to your local newspaper

• Visit the local offices of your elected officials or invite them to attend a chapter meeting

• Register and vote!

COMMUNICATION:TOP 10 TIPS

1. Be Clear, Brief, Polite, & Honest2. State Up-front What You are Requesting3. Include a Personal Example4. Give Evidence and Use Local Data (not

too much) to Illustrate the Issue/Problem5. Discuss Positive Effects of Taking Action

and Consequences of Not Taking Action

COMMUNICATION:TOP 10 TIPS

6. Repeat the Point7. Be a Resource & Offer to Help8. Ask Clearly for Action/Response9. Express Your Appreciation for Time/Attention to

Your Concerns10. Follow-Up and Thank Instead of “Spank” ** Keep a Copy of Your Letter/E-mail, and Record

Who You Spoke With in the Office

ONS On-Line Resources• ONS Advocacy “101” Course for CEU –

http://onsopcontent.ons.org/education/Advocacy/index.shtml

• ONS Capitol Connection – Monthly ONS Connect Column - http://www.ons.org/publications/journals/connect/index.shtml

• ONS Capitol Gang - http://www.ons.org/lac/pdf/capitolgang.pdf

• ONS Legislative Action Center – www.onslac.org

• ONStat – ONS Grassroots Electronic Advocacy Network - http://www.ons.org/lac/onstat.shtml

• ONS State Health Policy Liaisons - http://www.ons.org/lac/shpl.shtml

• ONS REACH Team Pilot Project – CA, FL, IA, NC, NY, OH, PA, and TX - http://www.ons.org/lac/chear/oct06/chear1.shtml



http://www.ons.org/publications/journals/connect/index.shtml

http://www.ons.org/publications/journals/connect/index.shtml

http://www.ons.org/lac/pdf/capitolgang.pdf


http://www.ons.org/lac/onstat.shtml

http://www.ons.org/lac/shpl.shtml

http://www.ons.org/lac/chear/oct06/chear1.shtml

http://thomas.loc.gov

Recommended Health Policy Websites

• Agency for Health Care Research and Quality – www.ahcpr.gov• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Legislation and

Practice

http://www.aanp.org/Practice+Policy+and+Legislation/Practice+and+Policy.asp

• American Cancer Society – Get Involved http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/gi_0.asp• American College of Nurse Practitioners Public Policy

Informationwww.nurse.org/acnp/leg/index.shtml

• American Nurses Association Government Affairs www.nursingworld.org/gova/

• Cable News Network (CNN) Politics – www.cnn.com/POLITICS• Cable Satellite Public Affairs Network - www.c-span.org• (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention –

www.cdc.gov• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – www.cms.hhs.gov

http://www.ahcpr.gov/



http://www.cancer.org/docroot/GI/gi_0.asp

http://www.nurse.org/acnp/leg/index.shtml

http://www.nursingworld.org/gova/

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS

http://www.c-span.org/

http://www.cdc.gov/

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/


• (US) Congress – http://thomas.loc.gov• Congress.org – www.congress.org• Congressional Quarterly (one of the most read

periodicals on Capitol Hill) – www.cq.com• (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services –

www.dhhs.gov• Democratic National Committee – www.democrats.org• Federal Register – www.gpoacces.gov/fr/• (US) General Accounting Office - www.gao.gov• (US) Government Printing Office – www.access.gpo.gov• Health Resources and Services Administration –

www.hrsa.gov• (US) House of Representatives – www.house.gov• League of Women Voters – http://www.lwv.org• National Association of Counties – www.naco.org• National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners -

www.napnap.org (click on Advocacy)

http://thomas.gov/

http://www.congress.org/

http://www.cq.com/

http://www.dhhs.gov/

http://www.democrats.org/

http://www.gpoacces.gov/fr/

http://www.gao.gov/

http://www.access.gpo.gov/

http://www.hrsa.gov/

http://www.house.gov/

http://www.lwv.org/


• National Cancer Institute – www.nci.nih.gov• National Conference of State Legislatures – www.ncsl.org• National Council of State Boards of Nursing –

http://www.ncsbn.org• National Governors Association – www.nga.org• National Institutes of Health – www.nih.gov• National Journal (one of the most read periodicals on Capitol

Hill)www.nationaljournal.com

• Project Vote Smart – www.vote-smart.org• Republican National Committee – www.rnc.org• Roll Call (one of the most read newspapers on Capitol Hill)

www.rollcall.com• Roster of National Nurse Practitioner and Nursing

Organizations www.nurse.org/acnp/resources/index.shtml• (US) Senate – www.senate.gov• U.S. Conference of Mayors –

www.usmayors.org/uscm/home.asp• White House – www.whitehouse.gov

ONS National OfficeSupport

Leslie GreenbergHealth Policy [email protected]

412-859-6401

Christina RyanExecutive [email protected]

ONS Health Policy Associates

Washington, DC

Ilisa Halpern Paul, MPP

[email protected], 202/230-5145

Jeremy R. Scott

[email protected], 202/230-5197

health policy advocacy: how you as a nursing leader can bring about change leslie greenberg, rn,...

Documents

health policy advocacy

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public policy deliberations

ons board of directors

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nursing leader

oncology nursing services

range of cancer care