FNA Kicks Off Season of Advocacy Empowering Nurses to Get Involved

Season of Advocacy: Be the Voice of Nursing

The Florida Nurses Association is kicking off its Season of Advocacy – a series of events intended to get nurses involved in the political process and support them in advocating for their profession. Throughout January and February, FNA will hold virtual Legislative Boot Camps in each of its eight Regions, where nurses will have the opportunity to meet with a local legislator from their area.  In February, there will be a certification training for members of FNA’s inaugural Legislative Action Team. Finally, on March 17-18, the annual FNA Advocacy Days will be held virtually.

Being the voice of your profession is important at any time, but perhaps is never so much at the forefront as now. The Florida Legislature will be addressing ongoing issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic during this session and it is critical that nurses have a voice at that table. Top of the list of FNA’s priorities for this year are vaccine distribution and workforce-related issues including adequate supplying of personal protective equipment and adequate staffing.

It is important for nurses to establish relationships at the local level with elected lawmakers to help strengthen our voice. The FNA Legislative Boot Camps are the first step in joining FNA’s advocacy work and making those important connections with leaders. FNA’s goal is to create a grassroots network of nurses who will become go-to resources for legislators to call upon when healthcare-related legislation comes up.

For FNA members interested in becoming more deeply involved in advocacy work, FNA is launching the FNA Legislative Action Team, an innovative pivot from our district coordinator program of the past. Participating members will “adopt” a legislator and serve as a nursing “ambassador” from FNA throughout the year. A certification program for those interested will be held on Tuesday, February 9 at 7pm EST via Zoom. Register for the training here. Applications are being accepted at www.floridanurse.org/ActionTeamApp.

During the Season of Advocacy, FNA will be encouraging its members to make appointments to speak with their legislators PRIOR to the start of the legislative session. It is important to establish these connections when legislators are in their local districts. Due to ongoing safety concerns, many of those appointments are likely to be held either over the phone or through a virtual meeting software such as Zoom or FaceTime. The same principles of etiquette apply to those meetings just as they would if someone were going into a legislator’s office.

The culmination of these three months of legislative activity will be FNA’s Annual Advocacy Days which will be a fully virtual experience this year. The conference will focus on the current challenges facing our society and our nursing community while exploring how we can position ourselves to make a stronger impact in policy-making. Focus will be put on how to be an advocate in the virtual world including tips for crafting your message and pitfalls to avoid on social media. FNA’s lobbying team will also be setting up virtual meetings with top officials including committee chairs and vice chairs, majority and minority leaders, and top staff members at DOH and AHCA.

What makes the most difference in getting our voices heard?  It is the voices and votes of nurses.  Legislators want to hear from constituents. As members of the most trusted profession, nurses have a unique opportunity to be advocates for their patients and their profession. It all starts with building strong relationships with policy makers and making our needs and desires known. Join us during of Season of Advocacy and BE THE VOICE OF NURSING!