Health policy: you can make a difference

Abstract

Political astuteness enhances nurses’ professional reputation, and persistence is a necessary virtue for nurses to have for successful political action. Nurses must take responsibility for legislation that impacts the profession's destiny by providing education when necessary, promoting professional values and system needs, and serving as role models and mentors to others. Becoming politically active, nurses can present a unified voice for advocacy and assist the profession's role as a major influence in health policy issues.The state of the country's health is a culmination of factors from recent events to actions taken years earlier. Achieving significant improvement of the public's health is a daunting task, in no small part because of the various levels of political activity (local, state, and federal), multiple players, and ongoing underlying social problems (Figure 1).Dr. Henry Kissinger says, “A frustrating paradox is faced by policy-makers. When their scope for action is widest, their knowledge is...