Thank you! This is really needed. Nursing instructor gives input on policy :: News :: PIONEER PRESS :: The Doings Elmhurst

Elmhurst resident Dilyss Gallyot, associate professor of nursing at College of DuPage, participated in the Nurses in Washington Internship in Washington, D.C.

The Nursing Alliance, a coalition of nursing groups interested in public policy, invited Gallyot to participate as a representative of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

"People making decisions about our care don't always have input from those who are providing that care," Gallyot said. "Nurses are the backbone of health care. We see everything on so many levels and we see the non-equity."

Her concerns include the cost of health care, the number of people who are uninsured and the number of people with preventable diseases.
Participants determined specific items to ask for from legislators. The internship culminated in a meeting with legislative assistants for Illinois Senators **** Durbin and Roland Burris.

"My specific 'asks' were for appropriations for nursing workforce development, which would infuse approximately $267 million into nursing education, nursing recruitment and nursing retention; appropriations for nursing research, which totaled $160 million; and a formal statement to be placed in the congressional record about how the senators feel about the role of nursing."

Gallyot hopes to continue participating in public policy forums regarding health care.

"To make a difference, you have to look at public policy and see that it is changed in order for us to be effective, not only as a country but also globally."