Engaging Nurses in Shaping Policy to Address Health Disparities
June 06, 2023
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Hosted by the Research Leadership Network.
Webinar Details
Nurses can significantly impact population health through public policy. During this webinar, Mayor Sofia Aragon shares how she is working to develop local policy to address health disparities among residents exposed to environmental exposure due to airport operations in her city and the region.
Objectives:
- Define the need for policy to address environmental exposures and health disparities
- Discuss examples of public policy to mitigate environmental exposures to populations living near an airport
- Demonstrate how to implement local, state, and federal policy
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
Speakers
Sofia Aragon, JD, BSN, RN
Executive Director, Washington Center for Nursing
Mayor, City of Burien
Sofia Aragon is the executive director for the Washington Center for Nursing and Mayor for the City of Burien. As Washington State’s nursing workforce center, WCN works to address the nursing shortage. Public policy is her passion. In her previous role as Governmental Affairs Advisor for the Washington State Nurses Association, she represented registered nurses, ARNPs United of Washington, and the School Nurse Organization of Washington. She advocated for legislation on workplace safety, full state adoption of the Affordable Care Act, higher education and public health funding, banning toxins in the environment, racial equity, and other issues. She was elected to the Burien City Council in 2019 and elected Mayor in 2022. As Chair of the Burien Airport Committee, she influences regional, state, and federal legislation to mitigate the health impact of exposure to communities by SeaTac International Airport. Most of Washington state’s communities of color live within a 10-mile radius of SeaTac airport. She partners with other cities, public health and community-based organizations to lessen exposure from the airport and health disparities among communities living and working near the airport. She also voted to pass city ordinances for environmental preservation and addressing climate change, such as requiring the use of compostable products, a tree ordinance, and a city Climate Action Plan. She earned a BA in Economics from UW-Seattle, a BSN in Nursing from Seattle University, and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University- Chicago School of Law.