AAOHN Public & Legislative Affairs provides a voice for our professional nursing organization as we promote legislation, regulatory, and workplace policies and advocate to safeguard the health and safety of workers, their families, and the work environment. AAOHN Public Affairs includes three components: the Legislative Affairs Advisory Group, the AAOHN Public Policy Platform and Communication by AAOHN about Public Policy. Each of these components has specific functions and activities for AAOHN to accomplish the overall goal of being recognized within the public policy arena as advocates for worker health and safety and the occupational health nursing workforce. Occupational and environmental health nurses (OHNs) work individually and collectively at the local, state, national and international levels to promote health and protect workers from illness and injury.
The goal of Public Affairs is to a) communicate the collective advocacy efforts taken by the AAOHN Legislative Affairs Advisory Group and b) provide tools to individual members and AAOHN chapters. All advocacy efforts endorsed by AAOHN are approved by the Board of Directors and then communicated to members. The following diagram demonstrates the corresponding functions and activities for each component.
Legislative Affairs State Networking Forum
Formally the Legislative Affairs Chapter Networking Group, this new, online forum is part of the Legislative Affairs Advisory Group initiative focused on outreach for legislative issues of interest at the state and local level. This forum provides members with an opportunity to post topics and submit questions for discussion with AAOHN members across the country.
Click here to access the forum.
The AAOHN Legislative Affairs Advisory Group works to advocate on behalf of AAOHN members with a focus on the following topic areas, approved by the AAOHN Board of Directors:
- Support for OSHA
- Susan Harwood Grants
- Occupational Health Nurse in Office of Occupational Medicine of Nursing
- Permissible exposure limits (PEL)
- Support for NIOSH
- Reduced funding for NIOSH under current budget
- ERC funding
- Support for the EPA
- Possible cut of 1/3 of EPA budget
- Support the ANA Legislative Agenda
- Multi-State Licensure
The AAOHN Nurse in Washington Internship (NIWI) grant supports member participation and learning about the legislative process. AAOHN supports a member’s participation in this program annually. This grant is to provide assistance to offset the costs associated with attending NIWI.
The program, which provides participants the opportunity to learn from health policy experts, members of Congress and other government officials and to network with nurses from around the country, is sponsored by the Nursing Organizations Alliance, an umbrella group of national nursing organizations, including AAOHN.
Learn more about the NIWI grant and download the application on the Awards and Recognition page.
Information within the AAOHN Legislative Toolkit will help you take action and advocate for issues of significance to occupational and environmental health nursing. Your voice will make a difference in the policy-making process to help protect workers, their families, and the community residents and environment around a worksite. Get involved and help shape our nation’s and your state’s action on occupational and environmental health and safety issues!