I love to hear about people becoming more active in their government process. This past week I noticed this article about hundreds of cardiac patients converging on Congress to urge them to spend more on research on combating heart disease and stroke. This was all part of the American Heart Association’s Congressional Lobby Day called “You’re the Cure on the Hill.”

The patients and AHA representatives all urged congress to fund a “strong and sustained investment in research and prevention.”

Here are some of the numbers cited in the article:

• Nearly 2,400 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day
• An average of one death every 37 seconds
• Two-out-of-three U.S. adults are overweight
• One-out-of-three is obese.
• The number of overweight children has quadrupled in the past 30 years
• More than 46 million adults smoke daily
• About 4,000 people ages 12-17 begin smoking every day

How involved are you in the health policy debate? This election year, I expect health care issues to be on the front burner. We see every day the way that the system is broken. Broken in so many ways that it almost seems impossible to fix. But if it’s bad now, how much worse will it be as more experienced nurses retire and the number of uninsured patients, elderly patients, and other at risk groups continue to rise?

Not easy questions but certainly ones that need answering. Contact your congress person today and let them know where you stand on the issues surrounding health care. It’s time nurses were heard loud and clear!

Find and contact your elected officials in Washington, D.C. at the links below:

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate