Create nurse-run patient advocacy organizations

Create nurse-run patient advocacy organizations to establish nurses as premier advocates for patient health

Nurses are uniquely responsible for patient advocacy and no other health professionals are trained so intensively on educating patients. So why then are most public health advocacy groups run by non-nurses? The public may not realize that nurses are experts in patient advocacy or education--a harmful misperception we must change. This will improve public health as well as improve the nursing image.

We need nurses to take patient advocacy and education to the public health level. We especially encourage nurses with masters degrees in community health nursing or public health to take a leading role, as such programs are the blocks upon which strong public health organizations are built.

We need nurses to found and run patient advocacy organizations such as:

Nurses for responsible infant formula marketing, or develop a version of what the Center does for the nursing profession--a breastfeeding media advocacy group. (See the National Breastfeeding MediaWatch Campaign)

Nurses against tobacco (See encouragement to create it from Pamela Haycock, RN, MA, in an AJN Viewpoint) Also see Nightingales Nurses.

Nurses working to prevent unwanted pregnancies

Nurses ending child abuse

Nurses for safe and healthy commuting: building a world of ubiquitous access to bike and pedestrian paths

Nurses for a healthy food supply: working to exchange trans-fats with Omega-3 fats in fast and prepared foods

Nurses promoting exercise for a healthier population

Nurses educating the population about safe sex

Nurses ending female genital mutilation

Nurses removing di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) from their health care supplies. Work with your purchasing department to identify products containing DEHP, research and replace these with safer alternatives. alternatives. It also saves money. You can do this individually at your own workplace by personally championing the cause. See how to eliminate DEHP: NoHarm.org Also see: Kennedy, M. S. "Plastic Products May Place Neonates at Risk: Study links DEHP-based products in the NICU with toxins found in infants' urine." American Journal of Nursing, Sept. 2005 p. 19. See a study on DEHP's dangers.

And many others...

Please let us know if you have created or are working to create any such organization and we will do what we can to help you and to publicize your work.