The Relentless School Nurse: The SEE YOU NOW Podcast Explores “When We ALL VOTE!”

The latest episode of the SEE YOU NOW podcast, “When We All Vote,” delves into the powerful connection between voting, civic engagement, and health outcomes. This episode, the 112th in the series, brings to light how participating in the democratic process can have a profound impact on both individual and community well-being. The podcast features nurses Jeanne Ayers, Lisa Schavrien, and Erin Ainslie Smith, who emphasize the critical role of healthcare professionals in promoting civic engagement as a health priority.

Key points:

Link Between Voting and Health Outcomes: There’s a growing body of evidence showing that civic engagement positively affects health. Voting can lead to better health outcomes by influencing policies that determine healthcare access, environmental standards, and other public health factors.
Influence on Health-Related Policies: Communities that actively participate in voting help shape policies that directly impact public health, such as healthcare access and environmental regulations.
Personal Health Benefits of Voting: Voting can enhance individual well-being and foster a stronger sense of community, which are crucial components of overall health.
Healthcare Professionals as Advocates: Nurses are highlighted for their innovative approaches to making civic participation a health priority. Their efforts are essential in removing barriers to voting, which in turn can improve health outcomes for patients, colleagues, and communities.
Strengthening Democratic Institutions: By promoting civic engagement, nurses are not only improving public health but also reinforcing the foundations of democracy.

Hosted by nurse economist and health technology specialist Shawna Butler, RN, MBA, the SEE YOU NOW podcast showcases how nurses are leading the way in addressing complex healthcare challenges. This episode reinforces the idea that civic health is deeply intertwined with overall public health and that healthcare professionals play a vital role in fostering a healthier, more engaged society.

Here is a description of the timely episode. The calendar is quickly approaching election day, November 5, 2024. We can do this for our health and the health of our communities!

Voting and health. It’s a pairing with a growing body of evidence (and even its very own Index!) supporting the links between this powerful duo and how they impact and amplify one another and dramatically shape the health of individuals, communities and democracies. From green spaces to clean air, policy decisions impact our health and wellbeing just as much – and often more – than any individual health decision we make. When communities vote, they impact those policies.

Research indicates that voting actually helps us feel better and more connected to our communities. In this episode we take a closer look at civic health and learn from nurses Jeanne Ayers RN, MPH, Lisa Schavrien RN, BSN and Erin Ainslie Smith MS, BSN, CPST how healthcare professionals and systems are making and achieving civic engagement a national and local health goal; and the creative and innovative approaches to removing barriers to voting that improve the health and wellbeing of patients, colleagues, communities — and democracy itself.