APHON and NCC Send Biden-Harris Transition Letter
November 13th, 2020
President-Elect Joseph Biden
Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris
c/o The Honorable Ted Kaufman
Chair
Presidential Transition Team
1401 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20230
Dear President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris,
On behalf of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC), which includes 63 member organizations, we offer our support and welcome the opportunity to collaborate and serve as a resource to the Biden Administration, especially during these unprecedented times. The NCC represents the cross section of education, practice, research, and regulation within the nursing profession and believes that the healthcare delivery system should be one that promotes wellness, advances research through scientific discovery, and provides timely access to care across the life continuum.
During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as with every public health crisis this country has faced, nurses are the experts leading at the frontlines of the healthcare response. They provide testing, infection control, and care for patients daily who have contracted, battled, and even succumbed to this virus. We agree that this pandemic requires bold action and commend your incoming Administration for taking the first step by establishing a COVID-19 taskforce. This initial overture highlights your strong commitment to our nation’s health.
As you continue to chart a path forward, we strongly encourage you to include nurses at every step of the process, in all possible conversations, and among all future taskforces, commissions, committees, councils, and federal boards. With positive cases increasing and the mortality rate rising, nurses remain a trusted resource of information, a frontline provider, and source of compassionate care for the patient and family. As we look ahead to a possible vaccine, our public health nursing workforce will be leading distribution efforts in communities nationwide, and our current and future nurses, from every corner of the U.S., will answer the call yet again to administer vaccines to the public.
The NCC recognizes that COVID-19 is not the only health challenge facing our country. We know nurses have and will continue to play a significant and vital role in health innovations to enhance care delivery.
We are proud to see the Biden-Harris transition team include nursing experts on Agency Review Teams to build a stronger foundation for a healthier nation. With over four million licensed Registered Nurses (RNs), Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs),1 nurse leaders, students, faculty, and researchers, the profession embodies the drive and passion to continually improve care for all patients, families, and communities.2
For over a decade, the Nursing Community Coalition has held strong to our Core Principles and has championed increased investments in Nursing Workforce Development programs, authorized under Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 296 et seq.), as well as the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).
Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs: Supporting Our Current and Future Nurses Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs help meet the nation’s demand for nursing services by addressing all aspects of nursing education, practice, recruitment, and retention. Their focus is to address the needs of rural and
underserved communities, where nursing care is critical to improving health.
National Institute of Nursing Research: Nurse Researchers and Scientists Leading the Way As one of the 27 Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NINR funds research that establishes the scientific basis for quality patient care. From reducing burdensome chronic illness and improving end of life care, NINR is at the forefront of disease prevention, patient care, and recovery. Our nation’s nurse researchers and scientists are essential to developing new evidence-based practices to care for all patients.
Over the years, the NCC has expanded its policy agenda in many ways. For example, members of the Nursing Community Coalition have supported nominations of nursing experts to federal boards, commissions, and taskforces to ensure the breadth of nursing expertise in research, practice, and academia informs sound policy. With an ever-changing health care landscape, the NCC also has focused on
issues impacting:
• Primary care and access to the entire continuum of services provided by RNs and APRNs
• Workforce supply and demand focused on economic, demographic, and geographic trends
• Health care disparities to ensure a more equitable and inclusive health care system for all
• Ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic diversity within the profession
• Maternal Mortality
• Telehealth
• Mental Health
• Population health
• Veterans’ health care
• Provider parity and nondiscrimination by health plans
• Current and future public health challenges
• Removal of unnecessary barriers to increase access to care
Successfully bridging innovations with impactful implementation is essential to ensuring an equitable and efficient health delivery system. As our nation continues to grapple with COVID-19, and as we prepare for the next public health challenge, the contribution of nursing education and the workforce remains critical; especially as we address the above issues and work to increase access to high-quality health care and promote wellness of the patient and provider.
The unique partnership the Nursing Community Coalition has created allows our national nursing organizations to unite on shared priorities and promote America’s health through the nursing lens. We stand ready to work with the Biden Administration as we combat COVID-19 and build a healthier nation. If the Nursing Community Coalition can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact the coalition’s Executive Director, Rachel Stevenson, at 202-463-6930 ext. 271 or rstevenson@thenursingcommunity.org.
We also invite you to view the Nursing Community Coalition’s recent efforts at www.thenursingcommunity.org/.
Sincerely,
Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses
American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing
American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners
Academy of Neonatal Nursing
American Academy of 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 Practitioners
American Association of Occupational Health Nurses
American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing
American College of Nurse-Midwives
American Nephrology Nurses Association
American Nurses Association
American Nursing Informatics Association
American Organization for Nursing Leadership
American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc.
American Public Health Association, Public Health Nursing Section
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 Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses
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
Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Incorporated
Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service
Dermatology Nurses’ Association
Emergency Nurses Association
Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research
Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
Infusion Nurses Society
International Association of Forensic Nurses
International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses
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 League for Nursing
National Nurse-Led Care 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
Society of Pediatric Nurses
Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates
Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
1 APRNs include certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs)
and nurse practitioners (NPs).
2 National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2020). Active RN Licenses: A profile of nursing licensure in the U.S. as of November
3, 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.ncsbn.org/6161.htm.
Promoting America’s Health Through Nursing Care www.thenursingcommunity.org · 202-463-6930 ext. 272