By Sarah Morgan Johnson
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Professor Natalie Baker, DNP, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, CNE, GS-C, FAANP, FAAN (BSN 1985, MSN 1990, DNP 2010), completed the national Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program in September 2024.
Baker was one of 15 fellows selected for the Health and Aging Fellowship. This program is designed to advance participants’ career in gerontology, providing an opportunity to gain experience and skills to make contributions to the development and implementation of health policies that affect older Americans.
After completing an intensive six-week orientation in Washington, D.C., co-administered by the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program, Baker began a nine-month nonresidential placement with Senator Bob Casey, Chairman of the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging. She was selected to serve as an expert on long-term care challenges. Baker is grateful for the support she received from the School of Nursing while completing her fellowship, as it allowed her to prioritize advocacy work in her nursing career.
“Without the support of the School, I would not have been able to participate in the fellowship,” Baker said. “Our legislators have the power to enact legislation that directly impacts health care, but often they are not the experts on what we do. Nurses need to be actively involved in educating the legislators and their staff on the challenges and solutions facing our patient population.”
Her work with the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging included co-authoring The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act S. 4120, a bill focused on increasing the minimum wage and improving the working conditions of long-term care direct care professionals. She also met with stakeholders and provided her expert insight on other bills Senator Casey considered sponsoring.
As the number of older adults continues to rise in the United States, the need for well-trained health care providers grows exponentially. Baker notes that nurses are especially primed to lead in geriatric care.
“By 2030, it is estimated that 20 percent of Americans will be 65 or older. This patient population is the heaviest user of the health care system due to the complexity of their medical conditions. With rising health care costs and a shortage of geriatric trained providers, we must enact policies to address these issues. Nurses are uniquely equipped to be the leader in geriatric care. We are often the first and last person to interact with the patient when they encounter the health care system. It is imperative that we train nurses to advocate for this vulnerable and growing population,” Baker said.
Recognized for her national impact on gerontological nursing education and health policy, Baker is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Additionally, she is a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing, an honor bestowed by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence.
She has maintained a practice as a nurse practitioner in the long-term care setting for more than three decades and provides care to this vulnerable patient population. In 2021, Baker was named one of the School’s 70 Visionary Leaders.