House Speaker Oliva Makes Health Care a top Priority

Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva (R) is receiving praise today from the Floridians Unite for Health Care Coalition after he recognized Donna Bixler as the Nurse Practitioner of the Day.

A family nurse practitioner who is affilitated with the Internal Medicine division at Southern Medical Group in Tallahassee, Florida, Bixler has been a practicing nurse since 1998.

In a statement, she thanked House Speaker Oliva, saying that she is “proud to follow in the footsteps of Drs. Vicky Stone-Gale and Doreen Cassarino, who also served as Nurse Practitioner of the Day in the Legislative Clinic this session.”

She commented that “the legislation by Representative Cary Pigman (R) – House Bill 607 p is imperative to increasing access to safe and quality health care in Florida, especially in rural areas of the state.”

And, she expressed that she wanted to “thank Speaker Oliva and Representative Pigman for their efforts,” stating that she hopes “our elected leaders support this public policy that will give APRNs the opportunity to practice to our full potential and help more Floridians with their health care needs.”

Nicole Livanos, the senior associate in state advocacy and legislative affairs for National Council of State Boards of Nursing and a spokesperson for the Floridians Unite for Health Care coalition, also released a statement, asserting that “advancing the state of health care is continually a big issue in Florida and across the nation.”

“With health care ranked in the bottom 25 percent in America, ranked 41^st for health care access and affordability in Florida,” she said. “It is vital Florida lawmakers consider advancing HB 607, which would help address the physician shortage that is contributing to these alarming statistics.”