This Commission serves as the Voice of Nursing in New Hampshire when it comes to the legislative and health policy arena. Since nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, it is essential to the development of the profession that nurses' voices are heard on critical healthcare issues. Commission meetings are held year-round. However, work is more frequent during the legislative session – during which time they hold the following events:

• Health Policy Awareness Day
  Once a single event, now two Health Policy Days are held in March-April in Concord . Nurses and Nursing Students from across NH gather in NH's capitol for a unique opportunity to interact with NH legislators – including several who are RNs themselves. Along with a tour of the state house, each session includes a mock legislative hearing where attendees play the role of a legislative committee hearing testimony and asking questions about a specific healthcare bill under consideration by the Legislature at that time.

Commission Members

• Chair: Barbarajo Bockenhauer, MSN, ARNP, PMHCNS-BC – NH Hospital
• Lea Ayers-Lafave PhD, RN – Comm. Health Institute
• Ginny Blackmer, MSN, ARNP, RN – Lakes Region General Hospital
• Laurie Brown, RN, BS – Amedisys Home Health Systems
• Lisah Carpenter, Esq., BSN, RN ret. – Concord Hospital.
• Jean Dudley, RN – Beverly Hospital
• Susan Fetzer, PhD, RN – UNH Dept. of Nursing
• Laurie Harding, MS, RN – Armistead Caregiver Services
• Paul Mertzic, MS, RN – Catholic Medical Center
• Barbara Shaw, BSN, RN – Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center
• Susan Smith, BSN, MHA, NEBC, NHA – NH Voices for Healthda
• Linda von Reyn, PhD, RN – Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

Lobbyist

• Robert Dunn, Esq. – Devine, Millimet & Branch - Attorneys at Law