"Improving healthcare access, systems, and legislation for underserved communities and populations has been my passion since I became a nurse practitioner." - Joy Elwell, DNP, FNP-BC, CNE, FAAN, FAANP
From L to R: Anna Mary Kinnaird Neff, Elwell's grandmother and Edna Neff Schloton, MA, RN, Elwell's mother. (Contributed Photo)
Beyond the classroom, Joy Elwell, DNP, FNP-BC, CNE, FAAN, FAANP - clinical professor and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing - advocates for nurse practitioners' titles and scope of practice.
Her inspiration stems from her mother and grandmother, and she is continuing that legacy by advocating for underserved populations and communities.
"My grandmother was a suffragist, and in between raising seven children, running a farm, and raising four grandchildren, she found the time to march for the right of women to vote," says Elwell.
In the 1970s, Elwell's mother served on a male-dominated committee that was involved in deciding where the first computed axial tomography (CAT) scanner would be placed in New York City.
The committee initially wanted it placed in a hospital serving the white upper-middle-class population. Her mother fought for it to be located in a hospital that served a broader and more diverse community. Her persistence led the committee to vote in favor of her proposal.
While her family influenced her interest in advocacy, her passion for it didn't truly develop until she was in her master's program at Lehman College, City University of New York.
"While completing my master's, we had a health policy assignment where we had to interview a politician. At the time, Nita Lowey was running for Congress in New York, and she lived in my county. I called her office, and we scheduled to meet at our local diner," says Elwell. "Having the ability to talk to a politician-and them listening-is what drove me to start advocating on a larger scale."
Elwell became a nurse practitioner in 1994, and it was early in her career that she saw inequities in healthcare, specifically health insurance, and discrimination against nurse practitioners in terms of reimbursement and being recognized as direct care providers.
Seeing those inequities firsthand, she quickly became involved in advocacy at the state level in New York, working to change legislation to improve visibility and scope of practice for nurse practitioners. When she moved to Connecticut in 2013, she continued her work through organizations such as the Connecticut Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Society (CTAPRNS), where she serves on the health policy committee.
CTAPRNS was established in 1975 with the mission to support Connecticut's APRNs and physicians, healthcare providers, educators, administrators, consumers, legislators, and other stakeholders in improving the quality of and access to healthcare for the state's citizens, according to their website.
This November, Elwell was awarded the Florence Nightingale Advocacy Award at the CTAPRNS 50th Anniversary Conference. The award is given to someone who inspires others to raise their voice and who champions nurses through advocacy. She was also the keynote speaker at the conference, presenting on the history of nurse practitioners in the United States.
Last year, Elwell received the American Association of Nurse Practitioners' State Award for Excellence-Advocate (Connecticut). This award honors those who have advanced the nurse practitioner role through practice, education, advocacy, research, and leadership at the national level.
Now entering her 10th year at the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing, Elwell emphasizes the significance of staying informed and raising your voice-for her students and nurses alike.
She encourages nurses to join state and national organizations, write letters, serve on committees, and join associations-such as CTAPRNS-that advocate for you and your scope of practice. Most importantly, "don't be afraid," says Elwell.
"Nurses are in a unique position to be experts in healthcare. If you're a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, or nurse midwife, because of the advanced training and education that we receive in health policy and advocacy, we are in a uniquely informed position to raise our voice to advocate for healthcare consumers, for the profession, and for healthcare systems," says Elwell.
