AONE Advocacy Day draws nurse leaders to Capitol Hill

More than 150 nurse leaders yesterday attended an American Organization of Nurse Executives’ Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack welcomed participants and urged them to educate their legislators about how they are improving quality, advancing affordability and enhancing value within their hospitals and health systems. AONE nurse leaders visited nearly 200 legislators seeking support for four priorities: reauthorizing and funding Title VIII nursing workforce development programs; funding the National Institute for Nursing Research; reducing administrative burden in health care; and enacting legislation (H.R. 6156/S. 3065) to protect professionals such as nurses from losing their licenses if they default on student loans. Both the House and Senate have passed bills that include Title VIII and NINR funding for fiscal year 2019, which must be reconciled in conference committee. AONE is an AHA subsidiary.