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| Advocacy Toolkit |
Welcome to the TNA Advocacy Toolkit!The information in this kit focuses on what nurses need to communicate with legislators and candidates. Any nurses or students helping with grassroots activities or participating in Nurse Day will find this information useful. While many of the links below are specifically for statewide lawmakers, the information can be put to use at the community, county or city level, as well as the national level. Before making contact with a legislator, please contact governmentalaffairs@texasnurses.org so we can connect you with resources and make sure you are best positioned to advocate strategically. Learn more about Nurse Day or policy at TNA. Find other ways to get involved as a member or student. Legislative Process in Texas
Becoming an AdvocateThis is a "best practices" section to guide you on what to do and what not to do when speaking with candidates and staff. While most of our interaction with legislators is now virtual, the materials below are still a good guide for building relationships. Download the full kit. Special thanks to our GAC Wisdom Council for contributing to these materials. Step 1: Get InvolvedA great first step in becoming a more active advocate for nursing and health care is to attend a Nurse Day at the Capitol. During Nurse Day, attendees learn about the state of health care in Texas and the bills coming up that could affect nurses and patients. Attendees also get training on how to advocate and get the chance to meet their legislators! If you enjoyed the 2021 Virtual Nurse Day, held in February, consider becoming more involved as a GAC Liaison. Liaisons help connect the TNA Government Affairs Committee with lawmakers from their region. During the legislative session, we may ask them to let legislator(s) know about issues coming up for a vote. In the interim, liaisons develop or strengthen their relationships with state lawmakers, providing them with a trusted expert to call for input on nursing and health care issues. Liaisons also help the GAC get to know candidates running for office through candidate interviews. Send an email to governmentalaffairs@texasnurses.org and let us know you're interested! Step 2: Find your legislatorStep 3: Decide How to ConnectDon't forget to let TNA know if you plan to meet or write your legislator.
Step 4: Continue Advocating!Nurses in numbers can get things done. For 19 years, Gallup has named nurses as the most trusted profession in the US. But nurses aren’t active enough in advocacy. Of 66,000 physicians in Texas, 90% belong to an association. Out of 340,000+ nurses, only 7% do. We need more nurses to join TNA and other associations so nurse influence at the capitol can match their importance to patient well-being. You may also consider getting active on Twitter and interacting with TNA social media accounts, or even running for office yourself with our Nurses in Office Toolkit! |