Over 400 RNs, Nursing Students to Attend Annual Nurses Day at the Statehouse

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Feb. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On February 18, 2015, over 400 registered nurses and nursing students from across the state will converge in the atrium of the Ohio Statehouse for the 2015 Nurses Day at the Statehouse themed Nurses:  The Heart of Ohio's Healthcare. 

This annual event is in its 13^th year and once again features a sell-out crowd.  NDASH is the platform for nurses to discuss important topics, with sponsoring organizations presenting on issues affecting nursing and health care in Ohio.  Additionally, attendees also have the opportunity to lunch with their legislators, attend committee hearings and visit with their legislators one-on-one.  Senator Capri Cafaro and Representative Barbara Sears will also speak at the event. 

"Nurses are the largest component of the state's health care system with 170,000 individuals holding a license to practice in Ohio.  The size of the profession makes nursing a strong voice in health policy and Nurses Day at the Statehouse creates a platform to make that voice heard," Lori Chovanak, MN, RN APRN-BC, CEO of the Ohio Nurses Association, said.  "The nurses of Ohio are a strong  and trusted voice that brings knowledge and expertise to healthcare discussions. Nurses have first-hand accounts of the challenges we face and understand as professionals that it is our responsibility to advocate for our patients through seeking solutions for healthcares future."

Issues to be discussed include:

• Granting Advanced Practice Registered Nurses the ability to practice to their full extent, increasing access to care and saving Ohio millions of dollars;
• The tightening of vaccine exemption policies for day care and school-age children;
• The creation of a Ohio nurse license plate;
• The creation of a state trauma board;
• The creation of 'Lack of Capacity' legislation;
• The importance of nursing students interacting with Ohio legislators;
• The advancement and access to quality cancer care;
• The advancement of nursing education that prepares a strong and diverse nursing workforce;
• Improving the framework of Ohio's trauma system; and
• New legislation that will provide Ohio with the resources necessary to become a true, inclusive trauma system.

Sponsoring organizations include:

• The Central Ohio Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
• Chamberlain College of Nursing
• The Columbus Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society
• The Council for the Ohio Health Care Advocacy
• The Emergency Nurses Association
• Kent State University College of Nursing
• Mid Ohio Nurses Association
• Mount Carmel College of Nursing
• Northwest Ohio Nurses Association
• Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses
• Ohio Association of Occupational Health Nurses
• Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
• Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice
• Ohio Council of Deans and Directors of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Nursing Programs
• Ohio Council for periOperative Registered Nurses
• Ohio League for Nursing
• Ohio Nurses Association
• Ohio Nursing Students' Association
• Ohio Organization of Practical Nurse Educators
• Ohio PeriAnesthesia Nurses Association
• Ohio Public Health Association
• Ohio Society of Trauma Nurse Leaders
• Ohio State Association of Nurse Anesthetists
• Otterbein University
• Southwestern Ohio Nurses Association
• Stark Carroll District Nurses Association
• Wright State University – Miami Valley College of Nursing and Health

About the Ohio Nurses Association
The Ohio Nurses Association is a member-driven, full-service professional association and is the premier professional organization for Ohio's registered nurses. Founded in 1904 to secure a Nurse Practice Act to protect the citizens of Ohio, it has been promoting and protecting nurses, the nursing profession and those who receive nursing care for over one hundred years.

SCHEDULE
NURSES DAY AT THE STATEHOUSE 2015
www.ohiondash.com

8:00am – Registration Opens

9:20am – Welcome & Introductions, Dan Kirkpatrick, MSN, RN NE-BC, President of the Ohio Nurses Association

9:30am – Keynote Speaker:  Lori Chovanak, MN,RN, APRN-BC, ONA Chief Executive Officer

10:00am – Panel Presentation of Nursing Issues

11:00am – Legislative Speakers, Senator Cafaro and Representative Sears

11:30am – Photo Session and Optional Sessions (Statehouse tour and committee hearings)

12:30pm – Lunch with Legislators

1:30pm – Optional Sessions (Statehouse tour and meeting with legislators)

2:00pm – CE Program:  RNs Shaping Their Future Through Health Policy

Speaker:  Andrew Fraley, JD. Director of Health Policy, Ohio Nurses Association

Objective: Describe how and when nurses can get involved in nursing advocacy and influence legislation.

SOURCE Ohio Nurses Association