As your State Grassroots Coordinator (SGC) for Advocacy, I want to share some highlights from my recent attendance at the 2016 Public Policy Forum. Unlike previous years, this year’s forum was not held in Washington DC, but rather in a Chicago suburb. While advocating on Capitol Hill for diabetes related issues is exhilarating, the change in locale this year provided a different, but no less valuable experience.
Diabetes educators from around the country were in attendance, but there was a particular emphasis on reaching SGCs from the Diabetes Belt, which includes North Carolina. There was also a strong focus on state licensure initiative and comprehensive training for state-level engagement. In North Carolina, we are fortunate to have a Diabetes Action Plan already in place. If you attended the excellent webinar earlier this month, presented by Jan Nicollerat, MSN RN ACNS-BC CDE, Vice Chair-North Carolina's Diabetes Advisory Council, then you learned about it. This plan is a valuable tool for not only tackling the diabetes epidemic in our state, but also for supporting advocacy efforts for quality diabetes education.
During the forum, we heard from a panel of key CDEs from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Indiana – states with either passed or active licensure legislation for diabetes educators. They shared lessons learned in the process and a lively discussion ensued during the Q&A session. The benefits of licensure were highlighted, including (and foremost) that licensure will optimize patient care and professionalize diabetes education. It would create minimum standards for licensed diabetes educators and also define a scope of practice. These measures ensure that diabetes self-management training is delivered by individuals with the core competencies to do so. Some of the downsides discussed include the variability among state governments for more regulatory legislation, along with the labor intensive process of developing this piece of legislation. Fortunately, we have the resources of AADE and the four states that have already begun or completed the process to support efforts in our state, if and when we begin to take steps toward licensure for diabetes educators.
As we begin the discussion of state licensure, your input is needed and welcome. What are the benefits for diabetes educators in NC? Is the “climate” right at the present time for introducing this type of legislation? Please share your thoughts through comments to this blog, or starting a discussion of your own on the state page.
Finally, a reminder and a challenge… Remember that AADE provides us with an abundance of Advocacy resources. Log in to myAADE and find the Advocacy tab on the top banner, or use this link, http://advocate.diabeteseducator.org/site/PageServer?pagename=action_center to land in the Legislative Action Center. Here you can learn more about how to locate your state and federal legislators, and make your voice heard. Start by asking what is important to you as an educator and for the individuals with diabetes that you assist. Write up a brief summary of this concern and practice discussing it with another individual. Now you have something to talk about with your representative!
The Challenge: “20 for 3 in ‘17”. AADE challenges each state to have members complete 20 visits with state or federal legislators (or their representatives). A visit can be a scheduled appointment in their local or state/federal office; at a fundraiser or community event; or any opportunity to introduce yourself and share your passion for diabetes education. The states that do this will be entered into a drawing for 3 free registrations to AADE 2017. The idea of meeting with a senator or representative can be intimidating at first, but keep in mind that you are the diabetes expert and the legislator wants to hear from his or her constituents. We have a sizeable membership in NC and should be able to complete 20 visits (collectively, not per member - although if you want to do 20 of your own, go for it). I encourage you to consider this challenge and accept it!