"Nurses play a critical and growing role in providing quality healthcare across the nation and I applaud their commitment to patient safety," said Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., May 27.

The occasion was a nurse-centric panel discussion offering a nod to Rendell, tapped to serve as new advisory council chair of Raise the Voice, the signature campaign of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN).

Raise the Voice is the academy's platform to identify and promote nurse-led or nurse-designed models of healthcare that have demonstrated clinical and financial outcomes. A collaboration of Academy fellows, partner organizations and consumer groups, the campaign, supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has been a vehicle to inform policymakers, media and health providers of nursing's proven solutions.

 Proven Experience in PA

Rendell has spearheaded the Prescription for Pennsylvania initiative - a comprehensive program to improve the affordability, accessibility and quality of healthcare in the commonwealth. He has been previously engaged with Raise the Voice, supporting nurse-led efforts in his own state and working to eliminate institutional workforce barriers. Pennsylvania is home to six "edge runners," who are nurse leaders featured within Raise the Voice whose innovations have demonstrated proven solutions.

"I am proud that in Prescription for Pennsylvania we dramatically expanded the scope of practice for nurses so they could provide services to the full extent of their training," Rendell said at the gathering. "The demand for highly trained professional nurses will continue to grow, especially as a result of healthcare reform . Nurses are vital and integral . to providing more affordable and accessible healthcare to our citizens." 

 Panel of Professionals

The panel discussion topic was "Pennsylvania's Experience: A Blueprint for Implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," and examined how reforms led by Rendell and nurse leaders paved the way for the landmark federal legislation enacted in March and how they will be critical to its execution.

Moderated by Jackie Judd, vice president for communications at Kaiser Family Foundation, the panel was comprised of  Susan C. Reinhard, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior vice president and director of AARP Public Policy Institute and chief strategist for the Center to Champion Nursing in America; Tine Hansen-Turton, JD, MGA, CEO of the National Nursing Centers Consortium and an AAN edge runner; and Eileen Sullivan-Marx, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, associate dean for practice and  community affairs at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, and an AAN edge runner.

 Looking Ahead

"I look forward to working with the American Academy of Nursing to continue shaping public health policy that will benefit our citizens today and in the future," noted Rendell, who assumed the Raise the Voice advisory position from the Hon. Donna Shalala, former Secretary of Health and Human Services and current president of the University of Miami.

"The Raise the Voice campaign has been treated to consummate leadership by the most competent of individuals," AAN CEO Pat Ford-Roegner said. "Gov. Rendell is helping to build a tradition of active, recognizable volunteers who are passionate about nursing and work tirelessly to improve the health care in America."

For more information on the campaign, visit www.aannet.org/raisethevoice.