Oregon Nurse Educator Proposes "National Nurse" In Recent NY Times Op/Ed

"America's Nurse" is NY Times Third Most Emailed Story on May 20, 2005

Portland, Oregon - Teri Mills, RN, MS, ANP, proposes in an editorial published in the May 20 issue of the New York Times that the United States needs a National Nurse to best protect public health and to promote wellness education to citizens.

The op/ed written by Mills has struck a chord among nurses across the U.S., many of whom are strongly in favor of a National Nurse appointment. The article titled "America's Nurse" was the third most emailed story on the NY Times website on its recent May 20 publish date.

"Health care in the US is projected to cost $3.6 trillion or about 19% of the gross national product. Prevention is the best way to lower health costs. Who better than nurses to teach people how to do this?" states Mills, a Nursing Instructor at Portland Community College.

Recent Gallup polls show that nurses are considered the most trusted, honest, and ethical professionals.

Mills' website, http://www.nationalnurse.info/ documents her efforts to establish this national position and she encourages visitors to post comments.

Inspired by DNC Chairman Howard Dean's record of accomplishments on health care in Vermont during his tenure as Governor, Mills recognized the need for a National Nurse position that would have three roles:

1) To highlight education on specific health issues. Mills proposes a 15-minute live broadcast to the nation which would also be available on the Internet in both English and Spanish.

2) To assist in the creation of a National Nurses Corps to organize and coordinate activities, such as nationwide diabetes screening programs.

3) To introduce and support legislation aimed at protecting the public's health. One proposal Mills advocates is the labeling of foods that could lead to diabetes.

The U.S. Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, recently stated that Americans don't understand diabetes but according to Mills, did nothing to help provide needed education on the issue. "A National Nurse is needed to promote health care in this country instead of providing sick care which is often expensive and unaffordable".