It appears there are currently five nurses who are currently serving in Congress

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It appears there are currently five nurses who are currently serving in Congress. The very first nurse to be elected into Congress was Eddie Bernice Johnson. She is currently serving her 11th term representing the 30th Congressional District of Texas. She is originally from Texas and served as a Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the VA Hospital in Dallas before she was elected. Last year, Johnson was involved in reintroducing The National Nurse Act, which would appoint a nurse-leader position to work alongside of the Surgeon General. The person elected into this position would, “…collaborate with health care leaders to address health disparities, set goals to improve the health of Americans, and raise the profile of the entire U.S. Public Health Service” (Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, 2015). She believes this position is very important because the health care reform aims for health promotion and disease prevention, which is largely a part of the Public Health Service’s general goal and responsibility.

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson represents the 30thdistrict of Texas. Congresswoman studied nursing at St. Mary’s College at the University of Notre Dame. After advancing her education and receiving a master’s degree, Congresswoman Johnson is the first nurse to be elected to the United States Congress.

Specific bills that have been supported by Congresswoman Johnson are as follows:

H.R.5475-Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2016-although this bill was recently proposed, Congresswoman Johnson is interested in improving the health of minority individuals. This bill specifically targets many areas such as data collection and reporting, health workforce diversity, and improvement of health care services.

H.R.2646- Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015- this bill has created programs that are extended and training is available which will allow mental health education to expand. Additionally, evidenced based interventions and the best available science into systems of care are utilized. There is also liability protection for professional volunteers within the mental health work field

When you have nurses in leadership positions, such as in Congress, the ability for all nurses’ voices and concerns have a better chance of being heard. Johnson believes that since nurses make up the largest profession in healthcare, their concerns and ideas are valid as far as the improvement towards the health status of this country. “Health care professionals are poised to lead the national movement toward improving public health, and the National Nurse for Public Health would provide the uniting voice and leadership to do so” (Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, 2015). So far the National Nurse Act has only been introduced to the House. It still needs to pass the House, pass the Senate, and then be signed into law by the President.

Overall, having a nurse in an elected position creates opportunity for growth and further development of bills and advocacy for all involved.