Nurse Advocacy and The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Nurse Advocacy and The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
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Nurse Advocacy and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
Advocacy is one of the daily practices of nurses as they serve as mediators between patients and physicians. Nurses have direct and regular contact with patients and understand their individual and cultural beliefs as well as barriers to effective treatment (Davoodvand et al., 2016). Given their unique role, nurses have historically influenced policy and politics at both state and federal levels particularly in matters affecting nursing practice. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is one of the latest legislations which is a result of nurse advocacy.
The involvement of nurses in advocacy, leadership, and policy formulation is critical in nursing development and patient care (Turale & Kunaviktikul, 2019). The United States signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also known as the COVID-19 Stimulus Package on March 21, 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic (Levin, 2021). Among the provisions of this legislation include the increased funding to public health that has witnessed a significant shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), poor staffing of medical personnel, and neglect of disease control directives by the public. Before the Act was signed into law, the National Nurses United (NNU) and the California Nurses Association (C...