Advocate Health Care nurses head to Springfield

On April 24 nurses from Advocate Health Care descended on the State Capitol in Springfield to engage legislators on issues affecting health care and the nursing profession.

More than 80 direct care nurses from across the Advocate system, met with dozens of state legislators, including Senate President John Cullerton and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin.

Seven nurses from Advocate Condell Medical Center attended and 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.

The Condell team had discussions with state Sen. Dan McConchie (26th District), Rep. Sheri Jesiel (61st District), Rep. Sam Yingling (62nd District), and Rep. Rita Mayfield (60th District).

"It is vital that legislators hear directly from nurses at the bedside, the challenges they face in providing health care for their constituents," said Mary Hillard, Chief Nurse Executive at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Ill.

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.