Nurses represent Advocate Health Care at Nurse Advocacy Day in Springfield

On April 5, nurses and associates across all Advocate Hospitals went to Springfield for the twelfth annual Nurse Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. In total, over 100 Advocate nurses met with state legislators, Senate President John Cullerton, and Governor Bruce Rauner.

12 nurses from the Advocate Park Ridge campus attended the advocacy event this year. They met with over 10 senators and representatives on critical health care initiatives that impact their profession including the Nurse Licensure Act, the Nurse Practice Act and the State Budget. They shared their stories, concerns and insights from their everyday work at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital with the goal of educating legislators on critical initiatives.

"Nurse Advocacy day is a great opportunity for our nurses to discuss issues that impact their work each and every day," says Jane Denten, Chief Nurse Executive at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. "Nursing care is at the center of what we do. Having an opportunity to speak with legislators each year on critical issues that affect our work is always something we look forward to at Advocate."

Among the Senators they met with was Senator John Mulroe who took the group onto the Senate Floor. The Advocate Lutheran nurses were also able to attend the Senate Executive Committee meeting with Chairman Senator Don Harmon. They also spoke with some of their local lawmakers including Representatives David Harris, Michael McAuliffe, Robert Martwick, Michelle Mussman, Tom Morrison, and Elaine Nekritz and Senators Julie Morrison, Laura Murphy, Tom Cullerton, and Daniel Biss.

Legislators welcomed the opinions and perspectives of Advocate nurses. Many of them conveyed their respect and support for the nursing community and their tireless commitment to the communities they serve. Advocate's significant presence at the Capitol also helped to educate lawmakers on many important nursing issues.