A National Health Care Advocate for All Americans

Every day nurses play essential roles in the lives of their patients. One of our most important roles is as teachers. We give people the tools to make healthy decisions. Yet, the benefits of preventative medicine and education have been largely ignored over the past years, and the support nurses and patients need to properly carry out prevention has not been there. We need a National Nurse to be a national advocate for our patients and for nurses so that we can help develop a healthier America. A National Nurse would provide valuable insight that comes from men and women who are at the beside more often than any other health care provider, people who hear patient needs on a daily basis. Statistics show that prevention is key in health promotion.A recent study of obesity in America titled F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies are Failing in America 2009 shows that "[e]xperts estimate that more than a quarter of America's health care costs are related to obesity." and "[t]hat an investment of just $10 per person per year in proven community-based disease prevention programs could save the country more than $16 billion annually within five years. This is a return of $5.60 for every $1." In the next few years, patient care will need to become more prevention based than treatment based if we are to meet our Healthy People 2010 and 2020 goals. A National Nurse will be essential to successful health care reform in America that truly benefits all by making healthier Americans and decreasing health care costs. A National Nurse would be a national health care advocate for all Americans.Submitted by Beth Ann Nyssen RN, BSNPortland, OregonA National Health Care Advocate for All Americans

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