“Investing in Nurses Saves Lives”

The following is an op-ed by Representative Dave Joyce (R-OH) that was published in today's Ashtabula Star Beacon, an outlet in his home district. Joyce is the co-chair of the House Nursing Caucus, along with Representative Lois Capps (D-CA), who founded the caucus in 2003 and is retiring at the end of the Congressional term. Both have been instrumental in educating their colleagues on the value of nurses and the health policy issues that impact the nursing profession.

The post is being published in conjunction with the American Nurses Association Lobby Day, when nurses will be meeting with members on Capitol Hill, advocating for issues important to nursing. Follow along by using the #hashtag #ANALobbyDay.

"Investing in Nurses Saves Lives"

By Congressman Dave Joyce

Every day, 10,000 people turn 65 years of age. While we all want to believe that we "age with grace," reality reminds us that we need to focus on our health, the health of our friends, family members and loved ones. More than ever, patients need clinicians of all kinds to meet the demand that comes with an aging population.

As co-chair of the House Nursing Caucus, I am acutely aware that we are going to need more than 1 million new nurses by the year 2022—less than 10 years—in order to meet increasing patient demand. While striving to build a more quality-focused health system that prioritizes wellness, disease prevention and coordinated care, we must recognize the value that nurses bring to these efforts.  As the husband of a full-time nurse, I certainly do.

Across the country, in health care facilities and community-based settings, nurses are assessing patients' health needs, developing care plans, administering medication regimens and engaging in clinical interventions.

Nurses are leading teams that are managing chronic illnesses, implementing innovative preventive care protocols, and utilizing health information technology to coordinate care. And advanced practice registered nurses are providing a wide range of primary care and other health services. When we see the statistics about reduced hospital readmissions and lower per-capita Medicare costs because patients are staying healthy, we need to acknowledge that nurses are essential to those gains.

Nurses are saving lives every day. But currently 55% of the RN workforce is age 50 or older, and there are not enough faculty available to train the next generation of students. In 2012, nearly 80,000 qualified nursing applicants were turned away from nursing programs, largely due to a shortage of faculty. So, before there is an exodus of nurses from the workforce due to retirements, we need to take seriously our ability to fund nursing development programs authorized under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act. Since 1964, Title VIII has ensured that there is a steady pipeline of well-educated, and highly qualified, nurses to meet our nation's health care needs.

There are common-sense steps lawmakers can take to ensure that patients receive the best care from nurses. Congress should pass the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act which helps to broaden access to classrooms, faculty, and clinical training sites. We should also pass the Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act, which empowers nurses at the bedside to have more decision-making capacity to improve nurse staffing levels for patients. Both of these bills were introduced by myself and House Nursing Caucus Co-chair Representative Lois Capps (D-CA). Studies have proven that having enough nurses in hospitals effectively reduces medical errors, length of hospital stays and costly readmissions. These are all important gains we need to make.

I am confident that we will succeed in treating more patients and cultivating a more robust nursing workforce. I commend the American Nurses Association (ANA) for being at the forefront of improving the quality of health care by advocating for the nursing profession and the patients nurses are committed to serving since 1896. This week, hundreds of members from the ANA will be visiting their elected representatives on Capitol Hill. My wife is a nurse and I know firsthand from her how important a nurse's perspective is, because when they share insights about improving the delivery of health care, they are speaking on behalf of their patients.

For the past 13 years, nursing has been named the most trusted and ethical profession. Nurses are the key to decreasing health care costs, addressing the burden of disease, and improving the quality of care delivery. So let's recognize the importance of investing in nursing and act to empower nurses to provide patients with the expert, high-quality care that they deserve.