NurseWeek: Taking care of Congress: Nurse turned politician battles for better health care

Taking care of Congress
Nurse turned politician battles for better health care

California
Congresswoman Lois Capps

Interview by Valerie Harris, MS, OTR
July 17, 2000


	You've read the article. Now tell us what you think. Related site Congresswoman Lois Capps Federal School Health and Safety Caucus National Association of School Nurses NurseWeek coverage of Campaign 2000

There is a reason why health care is at the top of California Congresswoman Lois Capps’ list of "hot topics": She is a nurse. Capps, a Democrat, represents the 22nd District, which includes San Luis Obispo County and most of Santa Barbara County. She made the move to the House of Representatives in March 1998 when she won a special election to fill the seat of her late husband, Walter Capps. She was elected to her first full term later that year. Her career has included work as a school nurse and director of teen-age pregnancy, parenting, and parent and child programs in Santa Barbara. She has a BSN and master’s degrees in education and religion.

Her latest projects include the Bipartisan School Health and Safety Caucus, in association with the National Association of School Nurses; the Bipartisan Consensus Managed Care Improvement Act; and the Democrats’ House Medicare Task Force, for which she serves as co-chair.

Capps’ name appeared in a NurseWeek (May 22) news item as the initiator of an appropriations request for the California Nursing Outcomes Coalition. She shared her views between House votes on a typically busy day.

What was your path from nursing to Congress? Was there anything about nursing that pushed you in that direction?

I probably wouldn’t be here except for having a husband whom I succeeded. I was hesitant to run for his seat to complete his term because I never thought of myself as someone running for office.

I had been out in the trenches. I’d worked all my life in a school setting. I was a school nurse, raising a family and all that, and active in my community, but never thought of running for office. But [my husband] did.

And I tell nurses that it’s a wonderful vantage point, because in my hesitation I had to stop and think, what experiences do I have? I can’t run on his coattails. What is it about my being a nurse, my professional experience, that would prepare me for this job?

It’s amazing how they dovetail.

So it’s a good thing for nurses to think about doing. Not necessarily Congress, although we could use more nurses in Congress – there are only three of us. But for nurses to be active in the political scene, at whatever level, in their school boards and in the statehouse. However they see themselves, they’ll find that their expertise is valued.

What do you see as the important issues?

The two highest priorities are education and health care – there’s no doubt about that.

Prescription medication coverage for seniors – that is the hottest topic we have right now. There’s the patients’ bill of rights.

I’ve worked on whistle-blower protection, I’ve worked on needlestick legislation. There are so many issues that come up here.

In addition, the funding of education for nurses – we certainly need to address that as a national priority with the shortage.

Clearly, when I spend time with my constituents, they want reform of HMOs, they want insurance companies to be held accountable, they want medical necessity issues raised so that the provider and the patients are the dynamic, not decisions made by a third party. That and reforming Medicare to include prescription medications – those are the hot topics and people care a lot about them. They’ll be part of the election because they’re something we should be addressing as a country.

And then there are the other issues. I have legislation on Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis]. I just introduced a children’s dental bill and a bill to allow communities to help support teaching CPR in schools. These are things I found widespread support for here in Congress.

What can nurses do to affect the big picture in health care?

Running for office would be one thing, but probably not many will.

When you think of all the nurses – more than 2 million in the country – as a voting bloc, as people concerned about health care as they see it in their professional life, we can change the way our country goes. We can really change the priorities of reaching out to the uninsured, reaching out to make health care something we could be proud of in this country, rather than something that seems [like a] patchwork.

First of all, I would say vote, and then make your voice heard. There are lots of ways to become involved.

And it will make a difference – I really do believe that. I think nurses see life in such a real way that is critical to decision making. And it’s something we can be proud of and can be somewhat assertive about. And we will be noticed.