November marks both National Nurse Practitioner Week and Diabetes Awareness Month – a fitting time to highlight the life-changing work NPs are doing across Ohio.
We sat down with OAAPN Steubenville Chapter Leader, Natalie Holden, a Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES) with Change Family Medical, to learn how she’s improving diabetes care for patients in some of the state’s most underserved communities.
Meeting Patients Where They Are
Natalie works for a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) serving rural Appalachia Ohio and West Virginia, where patients can receive care regardless of insurance status. For nearly a decade, she’s been part of a team dedicated to improving health outcomes for communities that often face the greatest barriers to care.
In 2020, Natalie launched a Diabetes Management Program to support patients in her practice living with diabetes. Since then, she’s seen remarkable results.
“When we started, 40 patients had A1C levels above 9%,” Natalie shared. “Three years later, we’ve cut that number in half.”
That progress is no small feat. Many of Natalie’s patients travel 45–50 minutes just to see her – and for some, the next-closest endocrinologist would mean another 10–15 minutes on the road, each way. For many, she’s the only accessible diabetes specialist nearby, providing education, insulin pump training, and continuous glucose monitor (CGM) support on devices like iLet and Omnipod.
Breaking Down Barriers to Care
Working across offices in both Ohio and West Virginia, Natalie experiences firsthand how practice laws differ between states. She has full practice authority at the West Virginia offices, allowing her to practice autonomously and deliver care directly to patients who might otherwise go without it. This autonomy has been essential in a region with limited endocrinology resources.
However, she must maintain a collaborative agreement with a physician in Ohio. “It’s more work from an administrative perspective,” notes Natalie. “But I don’t let it affect the quality of care for my patients.”
New legislation in Ohio could soon change that. Senate Bill 258 – The Better Access to Healthcare Act, along with House Bills 449 and 508, aim to remove the outdated Standard Care Arrangement (SCA) requirement for APRNs.
If passed, this legislation would expand patient access, reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, and empower APRNs to practice to the full extent of their education and training – improving care for patients in exactly the types of communities Natalie serves.
But change won’t happen on its own — it depends on all of us to keep the momentum from Senate Bill 258 and House Bills 449 and 508 going.
- Stay connected with OAAPN updates – follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn
- Speak up when it’s time to write, meet, or testify, volunteer as a Key Person Program (KPP) advocate
- Support the cause by purchasing OAAPN merchandise and donating to our PAC
- Become a member or invite a colleague to join and, together, we can make full practice authority a reality in Ohio