| Course | DNP 711 Healthcare Policy and Innovation |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 8 |
| Paper type | Written testimony with oral delivery notes |
| Length | About 525 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 711 Module 8
Testimony in Support of a Medical Respite Pilot Before the House Health Committee
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
DNP 711: Healthcare Policy and Innovation
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Testimony in Support of a Medical Respite Pilot Before the House Health Committee
Written Testimony
Good afternoon, Chair and members. I appreciate the chance to speak today. My name is [student name]. I am a registered nurse and case manager at a safety-net hospital in Phoenix, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice student at Arizona State University. I am speaking for myself, in support of a two-year appropriation for a medical respite pilot.
Two years ago, I discharged a man I will call Ray. He was 58, had diabetes and had just had surgery on an infected foot. He was ready to leave the hospital but had nowhere to recover. Shelters could not take his wound equipment. We gave him a bus pass. Nineteen days later he returned with a worse infection, and he lost part of his foot.
Ray is not unusual. In one quarter last year, my hospital discharged 41 patients without housing who still needed skilled care, and 12 of them were back within 30 days.
Medical respite care gives patients like Ray a safe bed, meals and a daily nurse visit for a few weeks while they heal. A Chicago study found that homeless patients who got a respite bed used less than half the hospital days over the next year compared with patients refused for lack of space (Buchanan et al., 2006), a review of studies found fewer readmissions overall (Doran et al., 2013), and when chronically ill homeless adults were randomly offered housing plus a case manager on leaving the hospital, their hospitalizations fell by 29% (Sadowski et al., 2009).
The pilot before you would fund 60 beds in Maricopa and Pima counties for two years, with half the cost shared by Medicaid health plans and an independent evaluation reporting back to this committee. It does not create an entitlement. It tests, with Arizona data, whether a place to heal saves money and lives.
I respectfully ask the committee to support the appropriation. Thank you, and I welcome your questions.
Prepared Answers to Likely Questions
Will this save money? "The research shows fewer hospital days, but savings depend on who is served. That is why the pilot includes an independent cost evaluation before any expansion."
Why not just build more shelter beds? "Shelters are not set up for wound care or medication support. Respite fills a specific gap between the hospital and a shelter."
What about neighbors' concerns? "Operators would be selected partly on their plans for community engagement, and sites would have staff on duty around the clock."
Why should the state pay rather than hospitals? "Hospitals and health plans would share the cost. State funds make it possible to test a consistent model across counties and measure results."
Oral Delivery Notes
Speak from the written text but do not read it word for word; look at the chair during the story. Keep to three minutes, practiced with a timer twice. Stand still, hands at rest. Pause after the number 12. If interrupted with a question, answer briefly and return to the ask. Bring three printed copies of the written testimony and the one-page brief for the clerk.
References
Buchanan, D., Doblin, B., Sai, T., & Garcia, P. (2006). The effects of respite care for homeless patients: A cohort study. American Journal of Public Health, 96(7), 1278-1281. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.067850
Doran, K. M., Ragins, K. T., Gross, C. P., & Zerger, S. (2013). Medical respite programs for homeless patients: A systematic review. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 24(2), 499-524. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2013.0053
Sadowski, L. S., Kee, R. A., VanderWeele, T. J., & Buchanan, D. (2009). Effect of a housing and case management program on emergency department visits and hospitalizations among chronically ill homeless adults: A randomized trial. JAMA, 301(17), 1771-1778. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.561
DNP 711 Module 8 instructions, in plain terms
The posted syllabus lists written and oral testimony as one 50-point assessment, 5% of the grade, with the oral testimony delivered during the in-person immersion session in the policy advocacy module. Canvas gives the format, time limit and rubric. Testimony is a short statement to a legislative committee or agency that identifies who you are, states your position on a specific bill or request, supports it with evidence and experience and ends with a clear ask. Expect to submit a written version and to deliver it orally before classmates and faculty acting as a committee. Draw on your white paper and your policymaker interview, but keep the testimony far shorter than either. Practice with a timer; committees often enforce limits strictly.
Inside the DNP 711 Module 8 example
The written testimony opens with the standard greeting to the chair and members, the speaker's name, role and whether she speaks for herself or an organization, and her position. One patient's story follows in five sentences, then one number from her hospital. Two sentences summarize the evidence with citations, and a short paragraph explains what the pilot would and would not do. The testimony ends with a single request and an offer to answer questions. Prepared answers to four likely questions follow, then delivery notes on timing, stance and materials. Two sources support the evidence lines. Its length fits a three-minute limit when spoken at a steady pace.
Where the marks sit in the DNP 711 Module 8 rubric
Testimony is likely graded on adherence to testimony format, clarity of position and ask, persuasive use of story and evidence, accuracy, appropriateness for a legislative audience, staying within the time limit and oral delivery. Strong testimony identifies the speaker and any affiliation clearly. A brief story paired with a local number is persuasive and memorable. Evidence should be accurate and stated simply. Preparing answers to likely questions shows readiness for a real hearing. Delivery earns credit for eye contact, pacing and composure. Exceeding the time limit can cost points, as it would in a real committee. Brevity is rewarded, because committees hear many witnesses in one afternoon.
DNP 711 Module 8 help: mistakes that cost marks
The most common mistake is testimony that reads like a paper, with too much evidence and no clear ask. Choose one story, one number and one request. Another is failing to say whether you speak for yourself or your employer; say it plainly. Do not exceed the time limit. Avoid jargon such as "medical respite" without explaining it. Three minutes of testimony on your own bill or budget request can be scripted at the desk from your white paper. Rehearse aloud at least twice with a timer. Bring printed copies for the committee clerk. Ask a classmate to play a skeptical member and question you after the practice run.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More DNP 711 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers
- DNP 711 Module 1: Blog 1: The Story of a Policy Topic
- DNP 711 Module 2: Blog 2: Stakeholders in the Policy Topic
- DNP 711 Module 3: Blog 3: Statutory and Regulatory Mechanisms
- DNP 711 Module 4: Policy Brief
- DNP 711 Module 5: Blog 4: Evidence, Innovation and a Generative AI Critique
- DNP 711 Module 6: Blog 5: Interview With a Policymaker
- DNP 711 Module 7: White Paper
- DNP 671 Module 5: Discussion: Interviewing an Adult With Anxiety and a Child With ADHD
- NUR 640 Module 4: Individual Assignment 3: Innovation Model, PESTLE and Human-Centered Design for a Clinical Issue
- DNP 647 Module 1: Case Study 1: Respiratory Disorders (Poorly Controlled Asthma)
- DNP 715 Module 2: Team Charter for the Healthy People 2030 Project
DNP 711 Module 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DNP 711 Module 8 sample paper?
The testimony above is a complete DNP 711 written testimony sample in support of a medical respite pilot, with prepared answers and oral delivery notes.
How much is the DNP 711 testimony worth?
The posted syllabus lists written and oral testimony at 50 points, 5% of the course grade.
Where is the DNP 711 oral testimony delivered?
During the in-person immersion session in the policy advocacy module at the end of the course.
How long should legislative testimony be?
Usually about three minutes spoken, roughly 400 to 500 words, though the committee or rubric sets the exact limit.
What should I say first in testimony?
Address the chair and members, give your name and role, say whether you speak for yourself or an organization and state your position.