Columbia Nursing Students and The Nurse Practitioner Association Go to Capitol Hill

More than 120 nurse practitioners (NPs) and NP students, including 20 Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students from Columbia Nursing, met with legislators in Albany, New York, on Tuesday, March 5, urging support for passage of key provisions of the Governor’s proposed budget that will help reduce health care costs and promote access to care. The meetings were organized by The Nurse Practitioner Association New York State (NPA), the only statewide organization representing all NP specialties in New York.

The legislative priorities of the Association include a provision to modernize the Workers Compensation System to recognize NPs and other certain health professionals as providers. The Association also seeks to establish a clinical preceptorship income tax credit for certain health care professionals who provide community-based instruction to students. 

Columbia Nursing’s associate dean of clinical affairs and NPA Executive Director, Stephen Ferrara, DNP, who led the student group said, “The NPA commends the Governor for proposing much needed modernization of the workers compensation system. Our Association looks forward to working with the legislature to ensure that our two legislative priorities are included in the final budget. Both changes will, in the long run, help reduce health care spending while promoting greater access to quality care.”

Capital Day, supported by Columbia Nursing’s Office of Student Affairs, is also important in helping students understand the critical role they can play in advancing sound policy and in improving health care access. This year’s student turnout was the largest yet for Capital Day, which sees the NPA and Columbia Nursing joining forces to advocate for legislative change impacting NPs, NP students, and their patients. The school has been participating in Capital Day since 2015.

“Student participation is essential to ensure that the legislators are aware of the barriers patients face when accessing the health system, and it introduces them to the future health care workforce who may be practicing in their communities,” said Ferrara. “In addition, the experience of visiting one’s state Capitol and advocating for change is part of our civic engagement and participation in the policy process.”

One participating DNP student from Columbia Nursing, Kiana Piedrahita, enthusiastically noted: “Capital Day this year was a phenomenal experience, enabling me to be able to go and see how change is made. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, I am proud of the tracks that we are making in the history of medicine. I encourage all NPs to come and create the change that we all want to see.”