Role of State-Based Action Coalitions
As posited, nurses play a critical role in care delivery right from local to state and federal levels as leaders and patient advocate. In its development of the nursing report in 2009, the Institute of Medicine (National Academy of Medicine) recognized that critical role of state-based action coalitions in attainment of its four recommended messages on improving the nursing profession. The implication is that state-based coalitions work at state levels to encourage and advocate for the implementation of these recommendations (Hassmiller, 2021). Nurses and business partners lead these coalitions with the aim of driving change at the local level by working to transform health care. Nurses in these coalition focus on the building of healthier communities and ensuring increased health equity with reduced disparities. According to the Campaign for Action, state have collectively raised over $110 million by 2021 in creating healthier communities through nursing.
These coalitions are advancing the goals specified in the National Academy of Sciences’ report by developing local interventions by nurses to improve care and promote healthier communities. The ultimate goal of the report is to the attainment of health equity in the country built on robust nursing capacity, experience and expertise (Wakefield et al., 2021). These coalitions are led by nurses with diverse skills and expertise to enhance overall level of care in communities.
Initiatives of Florida Action Coalition
The Florida Action Coalition focuses on providing leadership to advance the nursing profession to increase access to safe, and high quality care for Floridians. The coalition’s two main initiatives include lobbying for changes to increases access to healthcare for Floridians. The initiative led to passage of bills that will allow the state to provide health care access for over 21 million residents from advanced practice registered nurses (Campaign for Action, 2022). The law establishes a pathway for nurses to attain full practice authority for both nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives (CNMs). The law means that nurse practitioners will no longer need to be under physician supervision to offer care.
The second initiative is the reorganization of the Acton Coalition in 2021 with the aim of making it responsive to issues affecting care delivery and the role of nurses. The mission of the reorganized coalition is to foster health equity and improving outcomes through nursing and interdisciplinary collaboration (NCSBN, 2022). The initiative advances the nursing profession as it allows nurses to have a better approach to health care provision for the benefit of the majority in Florida.
Barriers to Advancement in Florida
The primary barrier to practice for nurses in Florida is the lack of full practice authority where nurses must work under the supervision of physician. Studies show that expanding the scope of nurses lead to increased access to primary care services and assists in reducing costs. Nurse practitioners offer safe, high quality and cost-effective healthcare. The state laws in Florida do not recognize nurses as primary care providers and this limits their practice. However, nursing advocates through the Action Coalition in the state continue to advocate for passage of bills as pathway to full practice (Campaign for Action, 2022). These efforts have led to enactment of laws to ensure that nurses practice to full authority to help combat emerging conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusion
Nurses continue to be a core component of healthcare sector because of the role that they play as first contact between the health system and patients. The report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the future of nursing shows that the profession plays an important role and requires a robust foundation to deliver quality care by navigating the different issues affecting access to care and quality. State-based Action Coalitions help nurses to lead changes at the state level as illustrated by the Florida Action Coalition.
References
Campaign for Action (2022). Florida Action Coalition.
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