Your vote, your voice: standing up for nursing and healthcare

Dear fellow nurses,

Thank you for joining us in this final print edition of The Washington Nurse magazine with our voter’s guide. As nurses, we are advocates. We advocate for our patients to make sure they get the best care possible. We advocate for ourselves in our facilities through bargaining and contract enforcement. We live in and, by virtue of our profession, create a “culture of advocacy” — and it does not end there.

This year is a presidential election, and voter turnout will be critical. Labor and healthcare are on the ballot, in that we choose who will represent us. As the number one most trusted profession for more than 20 years, our voices and participation as nurses can make all the difference in a campaign.

As chairs of the Legislative & Health Policy Council (LHPC) and WSNA Political Action Committee (WSNA PAC), we see how nurses can play a bigger role in the decision-making process in Olympia, from elections to passing legislation. Through WSNA PAC, we have the chance to endorse and support candidates who have proven to be strong on nursing issues and patient safety. During this process, we have an opportunity to build relationships with and educate candidates and incumbents on nursing issues.

After the elections, we must build on those established relationships to educate legislators further on the issues. The LHPC works to identify and push forward a legislative agenda, or priorities, vetted by Government Affairs staff, the LHPC, and stakeholders. We testify in support of, or against, bills on behalf of the nursing profession to influence and help make good public policy through the legislative process. We are there to hold our elected officials accountable, just as we are held accountable for the care we provide to our patients. This work then comes full cycle again in the next election season, as we review voting records for potential WSNA PAC endorsements.

We encourage you to get involved in this exciting and necessary work. Help us advocate for all nurses and the patients we serve. Help us bring about real change that is long overdue by building nurses’ political power. Help us be louder than the large corporations that control our hospitals. Join the WSNA PAC and help us elect people who will stand up for nurses every time. Together, we can do this.