As Integrative Nurse Coaches we must consider the recent Healthcare Reform Act and decision by the Supreme Court as an opportunity to create models of care that include nurse coaching to support health and wellness initiatives. In the process of this new law, there will be incentives in healthcare to keep people healthy, manage their disease, and to avoid re-hospitalization, setting the stage for Integrative Nurse Coaches to be in the center of this new direction as it unfolds.
In a recent statement by the American Nurses Association (ANA), the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including the “minimum coverage provision,” is viewed as a victory for all patients and their families.
ANA praises the law’s consumer protections and the opportunity it opens for RNs to assume an even greater role in providing high-quality, cost-effective care.
They see that the law enhances opportunities for nurse practitioners and nurse midwives to provide primary care, and for RNs to lead or participate in innovative, team-based care delivery models and expand nurse-managed health centers. ANA also views the decision as a win for all consumers due to the law’s protections against certain insurance industry practices, such as denying coverage because of pre-existing health conditions and imposing annual or lifetime coverage caps. In addition, the ANA believes that this action will help reduce healthcare expenses by lowering the incidence of costly complications due to lack of care and by increasing early recognition of illnesses.
As an RN, what are your thoughts about these upcoming changes and the roles we can fill to bring better health to our nation?
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As Co-Founder of the International Nurse Coach Association for over a decade, Susan has been teaching and developing coaching program and currently through the Integrative Nurse Coach® Academy. She is Board Certified in Health and Wellness Coaching, Holistic Nursing, and Clinical Nutrition. Susan has authored several chapters on Nutrition and Environmental Health for Holistic Nursing, Integrative Nursing, and Nurse Leadership textbooks. She has co-authored Nurse Coaching and Self-Assessment chapters in; Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice, 7th edition (2015-2020) and is co-author of the award winning book (ANA Gold Seal, 2015) Nurse Coaching: Integrative Approaches for Health and Wellbeing (2015) and The Art and Science of Nurse Coaching, an ANA Publication (2013), that led the way to establishing the standards for practice in the emerging Nurse Coach role. For the past 20 years, she has been the Nurse Coach and Nutrition consultant for Special Immunology Services at Mercy Hospital in Miami and is currently the Director of Nurse Coaching at Rezilir Health in Hollywood, Florida. Susan continues to integrate lifestyle health and wellness education into diverse communities, bringing her expertise and passion as a nurse, clinical nutritionist, and medical anthropologist. She has developed and implemented integrative health initiatives for diverse community organizations including the Yellow Courtyard, Integrative Health Symposium, Urban Zen, New York Open Center, The Lower East Side Girls Club, Kripalu, Omega Institute, and the University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University. As a concerned global citizen, Susan is the founder and education director of the Earthrose Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to environmental health education and advocacy. She maintains a private practice as an Integrative Nurse Coach® with a focus on nutrition and the environment.
