Highlights from the Hill: AAO-HNS legislative briefing day on Capitol Hill: a nursing perspective

It is a well-known fact that to promote an issue in the political arena, a coalition or group of people desiring the same thing has more power than a single entity. I have seen the results in my home state of Texas when the Nursing Legislative Coalition of which the Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Nurses (SOHN) is a member, the Texas Hospital Association, and the Texas Medical Association all work together to pass legislation. As Chair of the Government Relations Committee (GRC), it was with this in mind that I requested to attend the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Legislative Briefing Day in Washington, D.C. on March 11, 2003. Executive Director Sandra Schwartz and President Linda Miller Calandra were also in attendance. This article provides an overview and personal perspectives of this event.