Advocate Trinity Hospital Sends Nurses to Springfield

On April 24, five Advocate Trinity Hospital Nurses joined a delegation of Illinois nurses who descended on the State Capitol in Springfield to engage legislators on issues affecting health care and the nursing profession.

The Southeast Side nurses, including Advocate Trinity’s Nurse of the Year Krystal Manuel, made the trip as part of Advocate Health Care’s Nurse Advocacy Day. During their visit, the group met with dozens of state legislators to rally support to maintain Medicaid funding levels, raise the legal age of purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21, and pass the Nurse Licensure Compact—legislation that would allow nurses licensed in Illinois to practice in other compact states, including Wisconsin.

“Our nursing team members went to Springfield to make a difference. Nurses have the knowledge and a direct connection to patient care that makes us valuable partners in keeping legislators informed about health care,” said Advocate Trinity’s Chief Nurse Executive Jacquelyn Whitten. “Nurse advocacy is an important part of what we do.”

Whitten added that once a year, her hospital hosts a well-attended forum that brings nurses together with local, county, state and federal lawmakers to discuss issues that impact health care.

The list of legislators Advocate Trinity nurses engaged with included State Sen. Kwame Raoul and State Reps. William Davis, Thaddeus Jones and Christian L. Mitchell. The nurses also met with Senate President John Cullerton and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin.

“We went to Springfield to help our community climb to better things,” Manuel said, adding that help is needed everywhere. “Nurses have an important voice in the legislative process and we want to let our legislators know we are here and to make sure we are heard.”

Nurse Advocacy Day is hosted by Advocate’s Nurse Advocacy Council (NAC), a self-governed council composed of frontline nurses that works to educate and empower the largest nursing audience in Illinois: Advocate's more than 11,000 professional nurses. Advocate is the only known health care provider in the state to provide frontline nurses with this opportunity, thus giving them a stronger voice on legislative issues in Springfield and Washington D.C.

More than 80 direct care nurses from across the Advocate system participated in this year’s annual Nurse Advocacy event.