Full Answer Section

• • Contact your elected officials: Nurses can contact their elected officials to express their views on legislative issues.
  • Get involved in your local community: Nurses can get involved in their local communities by attending town hall meetings, writing letters to the editor, and participating in other advocacy activities.

Ways to Get Involved

I would most likely get involved in advocacy by attending FNA Advocacy Days and contacting my elected officials. I believe that these are two of the most effective ways to make a difference on legislative issues that affect nurses and their patients.

Attending FNA Advocacy Days would give me the opportunity to learn more about the legislative issues that are important to nurses and to meet with my elected officials to discuss these issues. Contacting my elected officials would allow me to share my personal perspective on these issues and to urge them to support legislation that is in the best interests of nurses and their patients.

Barbara Lumpkin Toolkit

The Barbara Lumpkin Toolkit (BLT) is a resource for nurses who are interested in getting involved in advocacy. The toolkit provides information on a variety of topics, including:

• How to identify and prioritize legislative issues
• How to build relationships with elected officials
• How to testify before legislative committees
• How to write letters to the editor
• How to organize grassroots campaigns

Thoughts on the BLT

I found the information in the BLT to be very helpful. I learned a lot about how to get involved in advocacy and how to make a difference on legislative issues that affect nurses and their patients.

One of the things that I found most helpful about the BLT was the information on how to build relationships with elected officials. I learned that it is important to get to know your elected officials and to let them know about the issues that are important to you. I also learned that it is important to be respectful and to avoid being partisan.

Another thing that I found helpful about the BLT was the information on how to testify before legislative committees. I learned that it is important to be prepared for your testimony and to be able to answer questions from the committee members. I also learned that it is important to be concise and to focus on the key points of your message.

Healthcare Issues in the Florida Keys

One healthcare issue that I would consider advocating for in the Florida Keys is access to healthcare for underserved populations. The Florida Keys is a rural area with a high percentage of low-income residents. This can make it difficult for underserved populations to access the healthcare that they need.

Another healthcare issue that I would consider advocating for in the Florida Keys is mental health care. The Florida Keys has a high rate of mental illness. However, there are a limited number of mental health care providers in the area. This can make it difficult for people with mental illness to access the care that they need.

Advocating for Healthcare Issues

The BLT provides a number of resources on how to advocate for healthcare issues. These resources include:

• Information on how to identify and prioritize legislative issues
• Information on how to build relationships with elected officials
• Information on how to testify before legislative committees
• Information on how to write letters to the editor
• Information on how to organize grassroots campaigns

To advocate for healthcare issues in the Florida Keys, I would use the information in the BLT to develop a plan of action. This plan would include the following steps:

1. Identify the healthcare issues that I want to advocate for.
2. Research the issues and gather evidence to support my position.
3. Build relationships with elected officials.
4. Testify before legislative committees.
5. Write letters to the editor.
6. Organize grassroots campaigns to raise awareness of the issues and to build support for my position.

I believe that by following these steps, I can make a difference on healthcare issues that are important to the Florida Keys community.