In a compelling “Letter to the Editor” recently published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, nurses Donna Gaffney and Teri Mills highlight the critical public health risks posed by President-elect Donald Trump’s healthcare policies. Their piece exemplifies nurses’ crucial role in advocating for public health through opinion writing.
Gaffney and Mills, members of Nurses for America, leverage their decades of healthcare experience to highlight two major concerns: Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). By addressing these issues, the authors demonstrate how nurses can effectively translate complex health policies into relatable terms for the public while also providing evidence-based perspectives that can shape more compassionate and effective health policies.
This “Letter to the Editor” is a prime example of how nurses can use our unique insights and trusted status to influence public opinion and potentially impact legislative outcomes. By raising awareness about the potential consequences of these misguided policy decisions, Gaffney and Mills embody the core principles of nursing advocacy: protecting patient rights, challenging systemic inequities, and amplifying the voices of those most vulnerable in our healthcare system. Their perspective piece serves as a powerful testament to nurses’ critical role in shaping public health discourse and holding policymakers accountable for decisions that directly impact patient care and community well-being.
Donna Gaffney and Teri Mills gifted us access to their “Letter to the Editor.” Click the link below:
As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Together, we will not be silent. – Donna Gaffney and Teri Mills
Public Health Risks
Nurse bios from BlueSky:
Share on Social Media:
Discover more from The Relentless School Nurse
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Great Letter!! I’m a big fan of letters to editors and op eds. They can help keep issues from dipping below the surface. As Nurses we are all experts on what happens when incompetence leads; we’ve all been there. Thank you for writing so clearly on this. On bringing advocacy to elected leader, DO IT. Maybe even become an elected official, join a board, dig in locally. One more thought…….I’ve been dialing like a madwoman over the past week (Social Security Fairness Act) and am now on first name basis with one of my Senators staffers. I have broadened my reach to sympathetic Senators from other states. I’ve called the Senate Majority Leader and Senate Minority Leader. The point here is you CAN bring issues forward, you can keep issues from dipping below the surface. It’s honestly one of the best tools we have right now. Thanks so much for your excellent example of that!
In these dark days reading about nurses speaking up gives me hope.
In the days to come this is exactly what meeting the moment means.
We will not be silent . We will not go away. Always speak truth to power.
Thank you for speaking out.
And thank you Robin for acknowledging what we all must do now.
Hi Adriana, Thank you for your thoughtful comments!