TL12

 

Visibility, Accessibility, and Communication TL12

 

Provide an example, with supporting evidence, of a nurse’s(s’) advocacy for individual or community health promotion at an external forum where decisions impacting healthcare are made.

 

 

Example: Cancer Treatment Center Nurses Advocacy for Community Health Promotion through the American Cancer Society

External Forum

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is the nation’s leading cancer advocacy organization, empowering volunteers to use their voices, their actions, and their time to make fighting cancer a national priority. (Evidence TL12-1, ACS CAN Flyer and 2024 Arkansas Legislative Priorities)

 

Nurses’ Participation in the External Forum

Elizabeth Bright, RN, ONC, Nurse Navigator, Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) St. Vincent Hot Springs (SVHS) Cancer Treatment Center (CTC), and Amy Works, RN, Clinical Nurse, are both members of the ACS CAN. Membership comes with these exciting benefits: exclusive access to ACS CAN virtual town hall meetings with ACS CAN leadership and guests, invitations to other exclusive membership events and information, and the empowering legislative action toolkit. Because of their membership in ACS CAN, Bright and Works can participate and advocate for community health promotion at this external forum where healthcare decisions are made. (Evidence TL12-2, Works and Bright ACS CAN Membership)

 

Bright and Works attended an ACS CAN luncheon on Friday, November 3, 2023, at the Red and Blue Events Venue in Little Rock, Arkansas. Krista Kirksey, Associate Director, Community Partnerships, ACS, invited them via email.

 

The luncheon consisted of patient advocates, payors, health systems, business leaders, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers. During the luncheon, there was much discussion on biomarker testing, multi-cancer early detection tests, advancements in research and care, and low-dose lung computed tomography (CT). (Evidence TL12-3, ACS CAN Luncheon Invite, Program, and Thank You Letters)

 

Nurse’s Actions of Advocacy for Health Promotion

Every breakthrough in the fight against cancer in the past 50 years is due in part to federal funding for cancer research. In December 2023, ACS CAN put out a call to action for members of the ACS CAN to send a message to the members of Congress urging Congress to get back to work, build on this progress, and pass a budget with the highest possible funding increase for cancer research.

 

In December 2023, Bright responded to this call to action by writing and sending letters to Congress members John Boozman, US Senator; Tom Cotton, US Senator; and Bruce Westerman, US Representative. The letter Bright sent advocated for health promotion in the community for funding for lifesaving cancer research. Boozman and Cotton responded, saying the email was received and they would respond as soon as they could. (Evidence TL12-4, Bright Advocacy Letter to Congress and Responses)

 

Bright also advocated for innovative new testing that could screen for dozens of cancers at once and urged the FDA to say no to Big Tobacco’s use of flavors in their products in December 2023. (Evidence TL12-5, Advocacy for Innovative Testing and to Say No to Big Tobacco Companies)

 

Nurses at CHI SVHS, such as Bright and Works, continually advocate for individual and community health promotion at external forums where decisions impacting healthcare are made. For Bright and Works, advocating for our community is why they became nurses and why they continue as nurses in our community.