Illinois School Nurse Advocacy Day

When it’s time to advocate for legislation to promote school health, no voices are more important than those of school nurses. Healthy Schools Campaign and the Illinois Association of School Nurses invite you to join us in raising our voices for school health at School Nurse Advocacy Day on April 16, 2009. The day includes an overview of current legislation related to school health, training on meeting with policy makers, and visits to our elected officials in Springfield.

More details will be available on this site in Jan. 2009.

April 17, 2008

On April 17 th, 2008 Healthy Schools Campaign and IASN held the second annual School Nurse Advocacy Day in Springfield, Illinois. Nearly 40 school nurses across the state attended the event. School Nurse Advocacy Day was organized in order to inform school nurses of the current relevant health issues, to educate school nurses on how to approach and speak with legislators, and ultimately to advocate for better student health.

Speaking Up at ISBE Meeting for State School Nurse Consultant

In the morning, half of the nurses attended the ISBE board meeting to advocate for a school nurse consultant position. Mark Bishop, Vyki Jackson, and Linda Gibbons presented to the state board about the importance of school health services support. The position was cut seven years ago so Mark, Vyki, and Linda spoke about how the position is integral in providing organization and support at the state level for school nurses.

Meeting with State Representatives

After the meeting, Mark Bishop gave a presentation about how to effectively interact with legislators. He discussed how nurses should approach their legislator while Linda Gibbons gave a presentation about health-related bills that nurses could discuss with their legislators. The nurses then divided into groups by region to get acquainted and formulate a plan of action.

Raising Awareness, Achieving Goals

After about two hours of discussing issues with legislators, our group returned to share stories, experiences, and perspectives on the day. The general consensus was that the event was a tremendous success. The nurses found the experience enriching and rewarding, and felt empowered to start independently campaigning for their issues.

We look forward to seeing you in 2009!