Standing Up for Nurses, From Oregon to Capitol Hill

This Nurses Week, we’re proud to recognize Lindsey Sande, an Oregon AFSCME nurse at the Oregon State Hospital (Local 3295), who took her advocacy beyond the workplace and all the way to Washington, D.C.

Earlier this month, Lindsey was one of the AFSCME nurses invited from across the country to Capitol Hill to speak out against a proposed federal rule that would strip advanced nursing degrees of their “professional degree” status. If implemented, this change would cap student loans for nursing students and make it significantly harder for the next generation to enter the profession.

At a time when our communities are already facing a staffing crisis, Lindsey and her fellow nurses made one thing clear to lawmakers: you don’t solve a shortage by putting education further out of reach.

“We wouldn’t be able to grow,” Sande said in response to the proposed federal rule. “We have had several people at the [Oregon State] Hospital go get more education and return to increase care and give back to our community.”

Lindsey and her fellow nurses met with members of Congress to push for the LEAP Act, legislation that would protect access to student loan support for nurses and other essential public health professionals. Their message was simple and urgent: nurses are highly trained professionals, and our healthcare system depends on them.

Lindsey’s advocacy is a reflection of what AFSCME nurses do every day: not only caring for patients, but fighting for the future of their profession and the communities they serve.

This Nurses Week, we honor Lindsey and all AFSCME nurses who are showing up, speaking out, and working to ensure that the next generation of nurses has the opportunities and respect they deserve.