Advocating for Nurses and Those They Serve

Our support for nurse advocacy focuses on many critical areas. 

• Ensuring Nurses' needs are understood and factored into government decision making, by engaging with the Administration, government agencies like HHS, FEMA, DOL, and communicating with Congress on crucial issues sucha as:
  • The needs for testing and increasing production of PPE
  • Funding for health care systems, staffing & equipment, and 
  • Support for nursing education funding 
• The advocacy driven by the Fund also campaigns to strengthen public health efforts in preventing the spread of coronavirus, managing the care of infected patients, ensuring the flow of accurate public information, and shaping the future of the professional field post-pandemic.
• Early in the pandemic, a core concern for nurses was PPE. A Foundation grant to the American Nurses Association's "Take Action" effort had over 125,000 individuals participate, with over 345,000 messages sent to Congress to share nurses' realities and concerns. 
• The Tri-Council for Nursing - an alliance between the American Nurses Association and partners the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and the National League for Nursing - convened a highly inclusive group of over 120 nursing and healthcare stakeholders across care settings, functional levels, and sectors spanning education, practice and regulation in an interactive virtual summit. The TriCouncil has created an advocacy blueprint for post-COVID nursing issues, across 21 potential topics in six themes. In May, the TriCouncil is expected to identify key priorities for future work. 

The A Pulse on the Nation's Nurses survey series, American Nurses Foundation has surveyed over 100,000 nurses nationwide on critical topics relating to the pandemic and their response to it. This information has been critical in helping us understand what our nation's frontline providers need to continue caring for patients and our communities - and provide solutions. This survey series has become a resource not just for our work, but for the wider community. The following organizations, corporations, and agencies have reached out to us requesting our survey findings for inclusion in their own work:

• Members of US Congress requested the survey data from the PPE, mental health, vaccines, and year one - impact assessment surveys.
• During the Center for Disease Control (CDC)'s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting, CDC researchers featured the October vaccine survey data looking at vaccine hesitancy, population segments, and reluctance. 
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requested the PPE survey data and have had conversations since the first survey to include the end-user perspective into the supply chain for PPE.
• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested survey data on vaccines and PPE.
• The US Government Accountability Office (US GAO) requested and is including data into reports (PPE, vaccines, impact assessment surveys). 
• The American Nurses Association's government affairs and nursing practice and policy teams are working in collaboration with the CDC to write and publish an article on nurses and vaccine confidence that compares the October 2020 and February 2021 data.

Media Highlights

In honor of National Nurses Day (May 6, 2020) Chicago's classic rock radio station 97.1 FM ‘The Drive’ conducted a 12-hour fundraiser benefiting the Corona Virus Response Fund. They raised over $12,000 dollars from their listeners and provided the American Nurses Foundation’s Executive Director, Kate Judge, with an opportunity to speak about the fund and need for support.