The Stony Brook University School of Nursing welcomed New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay to campus on June 24 for an interview-style event inside the MART Auditorium.
Organized and moderated by Assistant Professor Giselle Gerardi, PhD, RN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Voices for Health: Connecting Policy and Practice with Assemblywoman Kassay centered on vital healthcare policies and bills. Assemblywoman Kassay spoke openly about the processes of introducing and passing bills at the state level, and how addressing healthcare concerns is a top priority for her.
“Constituents are concerned about Medicare and Medicaid cuts, and we’ll continue advocating on their behalf,” said Assemblywoman Kassay. “We also need to figure out, as a state, how we continue supporting medical research as science is being questioned and defunded.”
Representing the Fourth District, which includes parts of the Town of Brookhaven, Assemblywoman Kassay has been an ardent supporter of SBU and the Long Island State Veterans’ Home (LISVH), supporting legislation and budget initiatives that helped fund both.
Her recent efforts will ensure the LISVH Nursing Scholarship Program remains funded. This program recruits eligible Suffolk County Community College (SCCC) graduates to work at the LISVH while enrolled in the School of Nursing’s Registered Nurse Baccalaureate Program at no additional cost to the student.
“For me, it was easy to passionately fight for LISVH funding,” said Assemblywoman Kassay. “Not only are we building the nursing workforce, but we’re taking care of our veterans as well.
Dr. Gerardi prompted the assemblywoman with questions related to healthcare policy, sometimes asking about specific bills that were passed, some that failed on the assembly floor, or never made it out of committee deliberation.
Assemblywoman Kassay’s insight engaged in-person and virtual audiences made up of members of the broader SBU Health Sciences community.
Before the event, Assemblywoman Kassay toured the School of Nursing with Dr. Gerardi and Dean Patricia Bruckenthal, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN.
