Hello SPN Members,
I wrote last month about our important roles as advocates – for the profession of nursing and for the patients and families that we serve. As the new administration is taking shape and beginning to enact its priorities, the call for advocacy feels all the more urgent. In the past several weeks, we have learned of actions by the administration that will have significant potential consequences for children, youth, families, for our profession, the broader healthcare industry, and for the overall health of our nation.
I am particularly concerned about three sets of actions: 1) limitations on the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-related work; 2) infringement on the healthcare needs and civil rights of transgender individuals; and 3) proposed cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs.
The lens of health equity and DEI has become foundational to our practice as pediatric nurses – we recognize, embrace, and celebrate the diversity of the patients and families we serve. Further, we have a professional responsibility to ensure equitable care delivery that in turn leads to better health outcomes, particularly for those groups who have been historically marginalized or who have health-related social needs. Accordingly, SPN has woven DEI throughout our work – you’ll see it reflected in the priorities of our Healthcare Policy and Advocacy Committee (HPAC), in the SPN Pre-Licensure Core Competencies, and in our Pediatric Nursing Excellence Model. SPN will have an ongoing commitment to this work and will help to advance our profession’s focus on equitable and culturally humble care delivery.
Similarly, SPN remains committed to supporting the civil and health-related rights of the LGBTQ community, including transgender children and youth, even as federal directives attempt to roll back protections and limit access to gender-affirming healthcare services. Our HPAC group maintains a helpful page of resources on gender-affirming care and LGBTQ support, and we have been proud to consistently offer educational opportunities on these topics to provide members with relevant resources and the opportunity to learn.
Initial proposals for the forthcoming federal budget propose large-scale cuts to social safety net programs like Medicaid. Nationally, more than 35% of children have healthcare coverage through the Medicaid and CHIP programs, and in some states, the number is closer to 50% (source: KFF State Health Facts). Cuts to Medicaid will have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of an already vulnerable group of children and youth, and these cuts will additionally have a severe impact on the financial viability of children’s hospitals and adult hospitals that care for pediatric patients, particularly those who serve a disproportionate share of Medicaid patients. Our patients and families – and the organizations we work for – will be heavily impacted by these cuts, which also ultimately undermine the health of our communities and our society as a whole.
These are serious challenges – to the work we have done as a pediatric nursing community to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for our patients, families, colleagues, and to the health and wellbeing of a significant proportion of our nation’s children. It’s time for us to speak up on behalf of our patients, their families, our colleagues, and to make our voices heard and our values as pediatric registered nurses known. For helpful suggestions on how to make your voice heard, please see my February president’s newsletter or the SPN Advocacy page on our website. SPN remains committed to this important work and to staying the course despite these new headwinds, and I invite each of you to join us, helping to amplify our message and deepen our commitment to doing what is right for our patients, families, and each other.