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Studies show that African Americans experience dementia at twice the rate of their white counterparts, and that they are more open to hearing brain health information from trusted health care providers who are members of their communities than from any other source. That made NBNA an ideal match to team up with AARP state offices, which will coordinate volunteer trainers to talk about brain health in community settings.

As a part of the pilot, select AARP Virginia volunteers and NBNA members in Virginia are being trained as “brain educators” to deliver workshops on brain health in community settings, like places of worship, civic groups, libraries, and community organizations. Brain educators are not required to be health care providers, but simply interested volunteers who have completed the training so they can help lead conversations  on brain health in their communities. Following the pilot, AARP plans to roll out similar partnerships beyond Virginia with other interested  AARP state offices and NBNA members across the country.

The goal is to teach people about the pillars of a brain-healthy lifestyle and to empower them with activities and strategies, such as exercise and healthy eating, which can boost their brain power and help stave off cognitive decline, which is a priority for adults 50+.

NBNA members can learn more about this pilot project at the NBNA 2018 Annual Conference, July 31–August 5, in St. Louis, MO, where NBNA’s Patricia Lane, the Administrative Director of Neuroscience, will lead a session about the project during the Brain Health Institute sponsored by AARP and our Global Council on Brain Health.

AARP is interested in hearing from nurses, nursing groups, and other interested parties who want to get involved in this effort. For more information, please contact Sue Zapata.

Pat Polansky, RN, MS, is director of program implementation and development at the Center to Champion Nursing in America. Sarah Lenz Lock, JD, is senior vice president for policy and brain health at AARP and executive director of the Global Council on Brain Health.

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David DeBiasi, RN, BSN, poses in 1988 with a colleague at Springfield Hospital in Springfield, Vermont. The picture appeared in a local newspaper with an article introducing the public to the new patient-controlled analgesia pump.

Welcome to “Nursing Journeys,” a new series featuring Action Coalition leaders discussing their career paths and reflecting on lessons learned.

David DeBiasi, RN, BSN, is associate state director for AARP Virginia, where he leads advocacy efforts for Virginians 50+ and their families. He also serves as co-lead of the Virginia Action Coalition.

DeBiasi began his career as a medical-surgical nurse, but his passion for policy and advocacy led him down a less traditional nursing path—to a career as a lobbyist. DeBiasi previously worked for the American Lung Association of the Atlantic Coast, where in 2009 he helped to ban smoking in Virginia’s 17,500 bars and restaurants. At AARP Virginia, he works to improve health care and financial security and protect vulnerable Americans 50+ and their families.

Why did you decide to become a nurse?
I started college at 17 and majored in political science, but I was just too young. I took a leave of absence from school to figure out what I wanted to do, and I began working as a certified nursing assistant. My colleagues helped convince me that nursing was my gift.

Please describe the journey you went on to get from that decision to where you are today?
I graduated from nursing school with my bachelors in nursing and began working as a medical-surgical nurse in a small Vermont hospital. There, I was told I was “too political” to be a nurse. I guess I wanted to change the system more than I wanted to be a good team player. After two years in that role, I moved to Boston and dove into public health during the beginning of the HIV epidemic. Being an advocate for health eventually led to me deciding to become a lobbyist.

What impact did the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report have on you?
I bought the book and read it cover to cover. It affirmed my love for nursing and my desire to be an advocate for change.

How have you been involved with the Campaign for Action?
I have been co-lead of the Virginia Action Coalition as the director of advocacy at AARP Virginia. I am blessed to be on a strong Virginia team. In this role, I’ve advocated to change our state’s laws so that advanced practice registered nurses can practice to the full extent of their education and training, which will increase Virginians’ access to high-quality health care. I’ve spoken on this topic at the National Press Club, was featured in a Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners public relations video, and was recently a guest on a cable show, Inside Scoop, with Winifred Quinn, PhD, and Andrea Brassard, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, from the Center to Champion Nursing in America, where I discussed the impact of Virginia’s nursing regulations on the public.

David DeBiasi (far left) stands with AARP Virginia volunteers and U.S. Congressman Rob Wittman (center) in June 2017 after discussing the impact of the American Health Care Act on individuals 50 and older.

Of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of? 
When I was working at the American Lung Association in 2009 and serving as co-lead of the state’s anti-tobacco coalition, we succeeded in getting smoking out of restaurants in Virginia. I’m proud we won our fight for healthy lungs and air in the Commonwealth’s 17,500 bars and restaurants.

What is the most important action that nurses can take to lead the way to improve health and health care in America?
Be political and vote! Nurses are the largest workforce in health care. Together we can be a powerful force for high-quality, affordable, family-centered care!

What advice do you have for the next generation?
Help unite the voices of nurses. 

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A. Barton Hinkle, senior editorial writer and a columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, lives in a state in which, as he writes, nurses “are forbidden to practice medicine independently.” His column headlined “One Small Step to Improve Health Care” is heavy on facts as he makes the case for Virginia to embrace nurse practitioners “as a vital component of the solution for providing cost-effective, high-quality, comprehensive health care.”

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Children who aren’t healthy can’t learn. That’s the premise behind a campaign to require every public school in Virginia to have at least one full-time registered nurse. The campaign is led by Dana Holladay-Hollifield, BSN, RN, NCSN, a school nurse.

Holladay-Hollifield started a Change.org petition calling for legislation requiring a nurse in all Virginia public schools, with priority for schools with larger numbers of students who suffer chronic illnesses or are without access to primary health care. Holladay-Hollifield’s petition says this “out of the box” vision could have huge impact: “School nurses could help the state of Virginia in reaching its goals for wellness, health equity, and reduction in health care cost.”

Schools are the primary places many students get health care services, and often the school nurse is the only health care provider a student sees on a regular basis. In Virginia, school nurses are required to report a child they suspect is abused or neglected, and child protective services cannot act without a report. This places nurses in a critical role.

According to a report by the National Education Association, the average student-to-nurse ratio in Virginia is 873:1—far behind the nation’s leaders in child health care: the average ratio in Vermont is 275:1 and in Massachusetts, 419:1.

The school nurse campaign’s goal is to have a bill the Virginia state legislature can vote on when it convenes next January. The petition already has more than 1,360 signatures, toward its goal of 1,500.

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• Distribution of population by race/ethnicity
• Percentage of population living in rural versus urban areas
• Distribution of population by federal poverty level
• Areas in which there is a shortage of primary health professionals

These statistics can guide your Action Coalition’s work in shaping a nursing workforce to better meet local needs and overcoming health disparities in your state. As you integrate other Culture of Health aspects into your work, consider how demographics play a role in health equity and fostering cross-sector collaboration.

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