January 22, 2015
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the undersigned organizations comprising the Nursing Community coalition, we would like to congratulate you on your successful election and look forward to collaborating with you in the 114 th Congress. The Nursing Community includes 61 national professional nursing associations that builds consensus and advocates on a wide spectrum of policy issues. Our organizations are committed to improving the health and health care of our nation by collaborating to support the education, practice, and research of Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). Collectively, the Nursing Community represents nearly one million nurses, nursing students, and nursing faculty.
Recognizing that nurses have and will continue to play a significant role in healthcare innovations that improve care delivery, our coalition works to support the following principles:
A robust and diverse nursing workforce is essential to the health of all Americans.
Nurses are an integral part of the healthcare team, are involved in every aspect of care, and are committed to the patient, their families, and the community.
The contributions made by the practice and science of nursing are critical to the delivery of high quality, life-saving, preventive, and palliative health care across all care settings, geographic areas, and social determinants of health.
The services RNs and APRNs provide are linked directly to the availability, cost, and quality of healthcare services.
Affordable, accessible, high quality health care, and improved health outcomes depends upon a model that is patient-centered and comprehensive, which can be achieved through the full complement of expertise gained from broad-based, inter-professional partnerships.
Nursing involvement is essential to the development of all aspects of the new healthcare information infrastructure. Nursing data is key to identifying patient outcomes and is essential to identifying required improvements in the delivery of patient care.
We aim to ensure that high quality nursing services are accessible to individuals across all care settings and in every corner of the country. We stand ready to work with you and your staff to improve care delivery models that support a sustainable healthcare system long-term. The Nursing Community recognizes that this endeavor cannot be achieved without strong support for nursing education, research, and practice programs.
If the Nursing Community can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Suzanne Miyamoto, at 202-463-6930 ext. 247 or SMiyamoto@aacn.nche.edu. We also invite you to view the Nursing Community’s recent efforts at http://www.thenursingcommunity.org/. 2
Sincerely,
Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
American Academy of Ambulatory Care
Nursing American Academy of Nursing
American Assembly for Men in Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
American Association of Heart Failure Nurses
American Association of Neuroscience Nurses
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordination
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses
American College of Nurse-Midwives 2
American Nephrology Nurses' Association
American Nurses Association
American Organization of Nurse Executives
American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association
American Psychiatric Nurses Association
American Society for Pain Management Nursing
American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses Association for Radiologic and Imaging Nursing
Association of Community Health Nursing Educators
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Association of periOperative Registered Nurses
Association of Public Health Nurses
Association of Rehabilitation Nurses
Association of Veterans Affairs Nurse Anesthetists
Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses Commissioned Officers
Association of the U.S. Public Health Service Dermatology Nurses'
Association Developmental Disabilities Nurses
Association Emergency Nurses Association Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses
Association Hospice and Palliative Nurses
Association Infusion Nurses Society International
Association of Forensic Nurses
International Society of Nurses in Genetics
International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses
National American Arab Nurses Association
National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists
National Association of Hispanic Nurses
National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners
National Association of Neonatal Nurses
National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of School Nurses
National Black Nurses Association
National Council of State Boards of Nursing
National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers
National Gerontological Nursing Association
National Nursing Centers Consortium
National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties
Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs
Oncology Nursing Society
Organization for Associate Degree Nursing
Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society
Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association
Public Health Nursing Section, American Public Health Association
Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates
The Quad Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
