DNP 840 Identify a nurse who serves on a state, regional, or national board, within or outside of health care
Nurses are often the first and sometimes the only health professional that people see and the quality of their initial assessment, care, and treatment is vital. They are also part of their local community sharing its culture, strengths, and vulnerabilities – and can shape and deliver effective interventions to meet the needs of patients, families, and communities who serve on a state, regional, or national board. The Honorable Donna Howard is a native of Austin who earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s in health education, both from The University of Texas. She worked as a critical care nurse at Brackenridge and Seton hospitals and as the first hospital-based Patient Education Coordinator in Austin’s history. A recognized expert on public education, Howard was elected to the Eanes ISD board in West Austin, where she served from 1996 to 1999, and was certified as a Master School Trustee by the Texas Association of School Boards. Representative Donna Howard has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2006 (Texas House Committee. 2017a).
She currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Select Committee on Health Care Reform, and is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Higher Education Committee. Rep. Howard also serves as the Chairwoman of the Texas Women’s Health Caucus which is the largest caucus in the country solely focused on advancing women’s health policy. During her time in the Legislature, Chair Howard has advocated increasing funding and access to women’s health services and has fought against anti-abortion misinformation. Over the last year, she has worked to increase national awareness of the current state of women’s health policy in Texas and the effect anti-abortion legislation has had in our communities (Tan, Melody T., et al, 2018).
She co-founded the parent organization Advocates for Eanes Schools and helped form the Texas Education Crisis Coalition, a grassroots group of parents, business owners, and community leaders working together to tackle the public school finance issue. Howard serves on the House Higher Education Committee, and House Administration Committee, and is vice-chair of the House Culture, Recreation, and Tourism Committee. She also co-founded the Air Quality Caucus, a bipartisan group of more than three dozen lawmakers working on clean energy issues. For her work at the State Capitol on health care, environmental protection, and historic preservation, Howard has been honored by community organizations, from the Austin Business Journal and the Texas Hospital Association to the Sierra Club and the Heritage Society of Austin. Texas State Rep. Donna Howard of Austin was named the 2020 Texas Nurse Practitioners’ Advocate of the Year, an award given annually to an individual who has gone above and beyond in advocating for the profession and access to healthcare for Texans. Howard will receive the award on Friday, September 25, during TNP’s 32nd Annual Fall Conference (DSHS, 2018).
References
Tan, Melody T., and Kirstin R.W. Matthews. 2018. Scientific Misconceptions and Myths Perpetuated in the 2017 Texas Legislative Session. Issue brief no. 10.23.18. Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Houston, Texas. https://bit.ly/2q8Tx9C.
Texas Department of State Health Services (TX DSHS). 2018. “Conscientious Exemption Affidavits Submitted to Schools for Schoolyear 2003- 04.” https://www.dshs.texas. gov/immunize/coverage/archive/ conscientious.aspx.
Texas House Committee. 2017a. “H.B. 2249 Report – Witness List.” https://capitol. texas.gov/tlodocs/85R/witlistmtg/ html/C4102017041108001.HTM.
