Cathalene Teahan poses in front of the Georgia Capitol. Teahan, a public health consultant, lobbies the Georgia Legislature on health care issues.

Cathalene Teahan, RN, BC, MSN, CNS, has been breaking ground in health care throughout her career. Nursing has taken her around the globe - from the legislature in Hawaii to a clinic in India - not only as a health care provider but also as an influential voice in getting laws passed that affect health care delivery and the public.

The native New Englander began her nursing career as a diploma nurse in the late 1970s, working in psychiatric nursing and mental health. She earned her master's degree in Hawaii in the early 1980s and was among the first health care professionals to realize that AIDS was a long-term challenge to public health.

"We saw that AIDS would have a major impact on health care and the community at large," Teahan said. "A group of us in Hawaii organized information for the legislators and set up ongoing programs to help with prevention, education and providing
services for the public."

Teahan's work included establishing a clinic that helped AIDS patients with legal issues, such as developing wills, creating durable and health care power of attorney documents and other services.

"We also worked with the Legislature to find funding for prevention and services, worked on antidiscrimination laws, insurance law and health care law," she said.

When her husband, Dr. Sudhindra Anegundi, a general vascular surgeon, decided to set up a practice in Georgia in the late 1980s, Teahan brought her knowledge and enthusiasm for legislative work to the South.

Today, she is a public health consultant and has become involved as a volunteer with the Georgia Nurses Association, serving as a nursing and public health advocate.

"There are a ton of issues in the Georgia Legislature," she said. "We work year-round to keep these issues in front of the right people."

Issues include protection for whistle-blowing when a health care professional sees something that may endanger a patient or be fraudulent, mandatory overtime, the shortage of qualified nursing faculty, PeachCare availability, environmental issues, school nurse programs and permission for advance practice nurses to write prescriptions.

"Georgia is the only state in the nation without prescription-writing capabilities for advance practice nurses," she said. "Nearly 20 states have passed whistle-blowing protection for nurses. And nursing schools are turning away qualified students because
we don't have enough faculty."

Teahan's enthusiasm and dedication are contagious. Apparently, it's hereditary as well. Her daughter, Vidya Anegundi, won a gold award six years ago from the Girl Scouts for setting up a oneday medical and dental clinic in Banglore, the small town in India.

"Through family connections, we coordinated 30 doctors and dentists who provided services to see 350 patients that day," Teahan said. "From this oneday project, we've been able to get people to donate land and services and the clinic is still in existence six years later."

Back in Georgia, the line between Teahan's volunteer work and her paid consulting frequently blurs. She's busy with her work for the Georgia Nurses Association, helping educate nurses about how the legislative process works, giving tours of the state Capitol and keeping an eye on issues that affect nursing. She interfaces with the GNA's paid lobbyist and others to raise awareness.

"We can always use more help," she said. "Nurses should meet with their elected officials about the issues and then tell us at the GNA about their conversations ¨ what the officials liked, didn't like and how they responded - so we can follow up."