Public Policy

WOCN® Society members must be engaged at a state level because we are the eyes and ears of our profession and our patients. Policy decisions often happen quickly at the state level and can be made without the input of all stakeholders, if those stakeholders are not engaged in the process. So, how do you become engaged in the process at the state level? There are some simple steps that can be taken:

1. Stay Alert – Try to read about the activities of your state legislature in the newspaper or on health policy blogs that might be available in your state.
2. Engage Other Stakeholders – Reach out to patient group leaders in your state as well as the public policy representatives you might have at your institution and ask that you be kept involved and considered a resource on health policy decisions.
3. Research – Two great resources are listed below that can help you become well informed about state policy and your state legislatures. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has a wealth of information about state policy and state legislators, and has a dedicated Health Policy section. In addition, Project Vote Smart can help you identify who your state legislators are and how to contact them.
   http://www.ncsl.org/research/health.aspx
   http://www.votesmart.org
4. Reach Out – The WOCN® Society encourages all of its members to reach out to their state representatives, just as they would with their federal representatives. Being engaged is the best way to protect both your profession and your patients.

Taken directly from “Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society™ Advocacy and Grassroots Toolkit”. The complete document may be read below. 

For more information and up to date reports from Washington, go to the National WOCN Advocacy and Public Policy website: https://www.wocn.org/public-policy-advocacy/

State Legislature websites:
California: http://www.legislature.ca.gov/

Nevada: http://www.leg.state.nv.us/