Welcome to Week 3 of APRN Advocacy Month
Dear friends and colleagues,
Welcome to week 4 of the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses Virtual Advocacy Month.
This week we are asking you to reach out to your Florida Legislators and educate them regarding the proven safety and efficacy of advanced practice nurses. We want to ensure that Florida legislators understand that Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) provide comprehensive health care services with a proven history of safety and outcomes comparable to our physician colleagues.
By emailing your legislator we can educate them about APRNs and demonstrate our support for removing costly and unnecessary restrictions on APRN practice. We have provided a template that you can use to reach out to your Senator and Representative, or you can craft your own message. We have also provided a link to help you find out who your legislators are.
So please click on the link below and take a moment to share your thoughts with your Florida State Legislators. The more people they hear from the more likely they will understand the contribution APRNs make to healthcare in our state!:
FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: AUGUST 19, 2019
Recently the House passed the Labor-HHS appropriations legislation which included a $30 million increase in Title VIII funding and language to direct CMS to provide information for evaluating appropriate nurse staffing. It is likely the Senate will be bringing its own Labor-HHS bill to the Senate floor in September which we are monitoring and meeting with committee staff to ensure our provisions are included in this text as well.
Additionally, the House Education and Workforce Committee passed the Workplace Violence and Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act with a bipartisan vote. The next step for that is the House floor.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed Title VIII reauthorization (126 cosponsors currently). This funding includes educational grants, funding for academic positions and Community Health Center monies.
The House passed the National Defense Authorization Act. Included in the legislation is the text to give the Nurse Cadets veterans status. The House and Senate are currently negotiating final text of the legislation through the summer and fall.
The Home Health Planning Improvement Act has been picking up cosponsors. This bill would allow APRNs to prescribe home health care services without a physicians signature. Recently Richard Neal, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee cosponsored it.
Both the House and the Senate have taken a summer recess. The House and Senate will be back in session in the second week of September.
