Nurses engage Springfield lawmakers

Nurses from Advocate Christ Medical Center and Advocate Children's Hospital descended on the State Capitol in Springfield Tuesday to engage legislators on issues affecting health care and the nursing profession. More than 80 direct care nurses from across the Advocate system - including 11 from Advocate Christ Medical Center and Advocate Children's Hospital - met with dozens of state legislators, including Senate President John Cullerton, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and local legislators, Representative Kelly Burke, Senator John Curran, Senator Bill Cunningham and Representative Frances Hurley as part of Advocate's annual Nurse Advocacy Day.

Participating nurses rallied support to maintain Medicaid funding levels, raise the legal age of purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21, and pass the Nurse Licensure Compact-legislation that would allow nurses licensed in Illinois to practice in other compact states, including Wisconsin.

"Nurse Advocacy Day is a unique chance for our frontline nurses to voice their opinions on legislature that affects the work they do every day," says Lynn Hennessy, Chief Nurse Executive at Advocate Christ Medical Center. "Nurses are the heart of our organization and see firsthand the impact these bills have on our patients and community. Being able to give our nurses the opportunity to share their experiences at the beside on these critical issues is something we look forward to every year."

"Nurse Advocacy Day is a wonderful opportunity for our nurses to discuss current health care issues that impact their work every day," says Steven Brockman-Weber, Chief Nurse Executive at Advocate Children's Hospital. "The legislators were very welcoming and eager to hear from Advocate Children's Hospital's nurses from Oak Lawn and Park Ridge."

Nurse Advocacy Day is hosted by Advocate's Nurse Advocacy Council (NAC), a self-governed council composed of frontline nurses that works to educate and empower the largest nursing audience in Illinois: Advocate's more than 11,000 professional nurses. Advocate is the only known health care provider in the state to provide frontline nurses with this opportunity, thus giving them a stronger voice on legislative issues in Springfield and Washington D.C.

This is the group's 13th year going to Springfield.