INTRODUCTION
This publication was researched and written by members of the League of Women Voters of Alabama (LWVAL), a nonpartisan political organization, that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The research began at the request of League members who wished to know more about health care issues and the problems being faced both nationally and in Alabama. Members also believed it important to supply such information to the Alabama pubic. As with all League educational efforts, attempts have been made to collect and present material in an unbiased, evenhanded manner.

There are two sections to the material present here. The first section, entitled “Recurring Issues in Health Care: Facts and Issues, is located on pages 3-21, and discusses some of the major issues that face the health care system in the United States and Alabama. In addition, it highlights the degree to which the problems are interrelated.

The second section, entitled “Challenges and Opportunities for the Nursing Profession,” begins on page 22 and focuses on issues related to the single largest group of health care professionals – nurses. Nurses are the focus not only because of their sheer numbers, but because they might be better utilized given the issues raised in the first section of the report. Part of the discussion examines findings of a major research effort reported in The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, which was published by The Institute of Medicine (ICM) in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences. Emphasis is placed on two of the areas covered in that publication: the need for nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training and the need for that education and training to be expanded.

© Copyright 2013

For further information, contact: Kathryn Byrd, President
League of Women Voters of Alabama
P. O. Box 1326
Tuscaloosa, AL 35403
admin@lwval.org

This publication is funded by the League of Women Voters of Alabama Education Fund
It is authorized by the League of Women Voters of Alabama
This publication is posted with other LWV information at
www.lwval.org

Material in this document may be reproduced with acknowledgments of
The League of Women Voters of Alabama

Copies may be purchased
by contacting Kathryn Byrd at the above address or email

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