Running head: POLITICAL ACTIVISM 1

NUR 416: Political Activism Paper

Allison Carlucci

Old Dominion University

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Political Activism

As a future nurse, it is necessary to remain aware of as well as actively participate in the

current legislation concerning health care. Furthermore, it is important to be able to accurately

analyze a health-related issue for the purpose of advocating for the needs of the community

which it concerns. According to Huston, when nurses are full partners in the policy-making

process, they achieve substantial improvements at the state, local, and national levels in both care

delivery and health policy (2014, p. 366). Therefore, this paper seeks to analyze a bill entitled

H.R. 315: Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, and its affect on health care consumers

while utilizing supporting research.

Statement of the Issue

The issue presented is related to the accessibility to maternity care for expectant mothers.

Maternity care is vital to the health of both the mother and the infant. However, often expectant

mothers are unable to access proper prenatal care. Therefore, barriers such as the limited access

to maternity care can have devastating effects. Structural barriers included not knowing where

to get prenatal care, having a long wait to get an appointment, and having problems with child

care or transportation (Heaman et al., 2014). Hence, efforts to improve access to maternity care

are both necessary and important. A bill in the United States House of Representatives known as

H.R. 315: Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, was proposed and passed in January of

2017. This bill seeks to place health care providers specializing in maternity care in areas that

are at a greater need for this type of care. Furthermore,

The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) places health care professionals who

participate in their Loan Repayment Program, which requires a two-year commitment, in

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areas where HRSA finds health professional shortages. H.R. 315 is designed to more

effectively allocate maternity health care providers who already participate in the NHSC

Loan Repayment Program, in areas with higher need of maternity health care. (H.R. 315:

Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, n.d.)

Thus, this bill is important in improving womens access to maternity care in places where there

is a great need for these services. Additionally, the mission of the Health Resources & Services

Administration (HRSA), which is the federal agency responsible for improving access to health

care, is to improve health and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled

health workforce and innovative programs (About HRSA, n.d.). Therefore, the change

mandated by this bill is consistent with the mission of the HRSA.

Personal Position

This issue of limited access to maternity care is a significant issue that can potentially be

decreased or prevented through appropriate actions. Therefore, I support the bill in the U.S.

Congress known as H.R. 315: Improving Access to Maternity Care Act. Personally, I believe

that allocating maternity health care professionals to areas in which there is a great need for this

type of care due to various hindrances and barriers to maternity care, including structural,

financial and psychosocial, is important. According to research findings, these barriers

increased the likelihood of inadequate prenatal care for women living in

socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Removing barriers to prenatal care and

capitalizing on factors that motivate and facilitate women to seek prenatal care despite

the challenges of their personal circumstances may help improve use of prenatal care by

inner-city women. (Heaman et al., 2014)

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These findings demonstrated the need to take steps to remove barriers and improve the

accessibility to maternity care in order to promote better outcomes for both the mother and the

infant. The implementation of the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act will be effective in

removing those barriers for expectant mothers.

Maternity care is necessary in reducing risks to the mother as well as the infant. Thus,

another aspect of this issue to consider is the ways in which this bill can potentially prevent or

reduce the occurrence of complications related to pregnancy. Preconception and prenatal care

can help prevent complications and inform women about important steps they can take to protect

their infant and ensure a healthy pregnancy (What is prenatal care and why is it important?,

n.d.). This suggests that receiving appropriate maternity care can reduce complications to the

mother and infant, provide information regarding the necessary diet and activity during

pregnancy and detect and manage existing conditions. Therefore, this evidence further confirms

the benefits that bill H.R. 315 provides.

The Improving Access to Maternity Care Act does not expand the participation of

medical professionals in the Health Resources and Services Administration Loan Repayment

Program. Since H.R. 315 does not compel medical personal to join the program, nor add

participants to it, then it does not add significant financial allocations to the program budget.

Being able to affect the health of mothers and infants throughout our nation without significantly

increasing the expense of the program is an additional positive aspect of the bill (H.R. 315:

Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, n.d).

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Summary

Political advocacy is an important aspect of nursing. According to Huston, nurses play

an essential role in supporting and realizing a vision for health care that is affordable, accessible,

and of high quality (2014, p. 366). Therefore, analyzing current legislation and advocating for

the health needs of the community is vital. The bill entitled H.R. 315: Improving Access to

Maternity Care Act, seeks to allocate maternity health care professionals to locations where there

is a significant need for this care, without adding significant costs. The need may derive from a

lack of access due to location or finances as well as due to high risk conditions. Additionally,

prenatal care has been shown to greatly reduce as well as prevent complications of pregnancy to

both the mother and the infant. Yet, many women do not receive prenatal care that they require.

Thus, I support the passage of this bill. I believe that it has the potential to improve access to

maternity care, reduce pregnancy-related complications and aid in improving the outcomes of

both mothers and infants.

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References

About HRSA. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2017, from https://www.hrsa.gov/about/

Heaman, M., Moffatt, M., Elliott, L., Sword, W., Helewa, M., Morris, H., Cook, C. (2014).

Barriers, motivators and facilitators related to prenatal care utilization among inner-city

women in Winnipeg, Canada: a casecontrol study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. doi:

10.1186/1471-2393-14-227

H.R. 315: Improving Access to Maternity Care Act. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2017, from

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr315/summary

Huston, C. (2014). Professional issues in nursing: Challenges & opportunities (3rd ed.).

Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

What is prenatal care and why is it important? (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2017, from

https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/Pages/prenatal-

care.aspx

I pledge to support the Honor System of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form
of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a
member of the academic community it is responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the
Honor Code. I will report to a hearing if summoned.
Name: Allison Carlucci
Signature: Allison Carlucci
Date: July 18, 2017
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Appendix
Letter to Legislator
Allison Carlucci
841 Saddleback Trail Rd.
Chesapeake VA 23322

July 18, 2017

The Hon. Donald McEachin

110 North Robinson Street
Suite 401
Richmond, VA 23220

Dear Congressman McEachin:

I am writing you concerning House Resolution 315: Improving Access to Maternity Care Act.
This act provides for the Health Resources & Services Administration to identify areas in which
there is a great need for maternity care and allocate health care professionals who specialize in
maternity care to these areas. Maternity care is vital in promoting the best outcomes for both the
mother and the infant.
I support this bill because maternity care is essential in reducing and preventing pregnancy-
related complications. The failure to obtain maternity care results from multiple barriers such as
the lack of access due to location or finances. Additionally, this bill seeks to place maternity
health care professionals in areas that may be underserved as well as have an increased incidence
of high risk pregnancies. Therefore, this bill is important because it allows for areas that have
poor access to maternity care to receive the type of care that they need. Without this bill, many
women will be unable to receive the care they need and will be at risk for complications that may
be prevented with the proper care.
H.R. 315: Improving Access to Maternity Care Act is important for the purpose of promoting the
best outcomes for both the mothers and the infants. This bill will place maternity health care
professionals in areas in which there is a great need for their services. Improving access to
maternity care will aid in promoting healthy pregnancies and preventing poor outcomes.
Therefore, I encourage you to support the passage of this bill.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Sincerely,

Allison Carlucci