House Nursing Caucus
Contact your Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and ask them to join the 111th Congressional Nursing Caucus.
Background:
In order to educate Congress about challenges facing nursing, Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) and Representative Ed Whitfield (R-KY) established the Congressional Nursing Caucus in 2003. Representative Steven LaTourette (R-OH) took over as Caucus Co-Chair for Rep. Whitfield in 2005. The Congressional Nursing Caucus will reform in early 2009, and all Members of the House of Representatives are eligible to join. Representatives who joined the Caucus in the past must affirm that they would like to join again.
Rationale:
- The nursing profession is at a critical crossroads. Numbering more than 2.9 million, RNs are the largest healthcare workforce in America. Yet the supply of nurses is failing to meet our national need. The growing shortage of RNs is impacting the entire health care system, resulting in decreased patient care quality, and complicating efforts to prepare for natural disasters and acts of terrorism.
- The House Nursing Caucus provides Members of Congress an open forum to address issues affecting the nursing community. It also serves as a clearinghouse for information and a sounding board for ideas brought forth by the nursing community.
- The Caucus holds regular briefings on matters such as the nurse shortage, barriers to practice for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, bioterrorism preparedness, health care reform, and patient safety issues.
- Every Member of Congress who belongs to the House Nursing Caucus identifies a staff person dedicated to the Caucus and its issues. This increases the number of staff on Capitol Hill knowledgeable of nursing issues.