APHON and 61 other member organizations of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC), signed onto a letter to both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to again request at least $324.472 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $208.571 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Omnibus.

As part of the CAC2 Coalition, APHON signed onto two letters to the House and Senate Sponsors of the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act, urging to pass this pill and reauthorize the program for an additional 5 years. The STAR Act expands opportunities for childhood cancer research, improves efforts to identify and track childhood cancer incidences, and enhances the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors. Originally signed into law in 2018, the STAR Act has authorized $30 million in federal funding each year for these programs.

APHON joined the Nursing Community Coalition to endorse the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act, which would help to remove barriers in Medicare and Medicaid that prevent APRNs from practicing to the full extent of their education and clinical training. Removing these barriers would increase patients’ timely access to care from the provider of their choice.

Along with 61 other members of the Nursing Community Coalition, APHON signed onto a letter requesting that specific priorities that impact the nursing workforce be passed before the end of the year. These include the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act, the Nurse Corps Tax Parity Act, and supporting the mental health, health working environments, and safety measures for the current and future nursing workforce.

APHON supported the Nursing Community Coalitions request for least $324.472 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce and Development Programs and at least $208.571 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023.

APHON joined the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the American Heart Association in encouraging the inclusion of two National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed measures for sickle cell disease (SCD) screening in the Medicaid Child Core Measure Set.

APHON joined the National Organization of Rare Diseases (NORD) and 109 other organizations in supporting the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act. This bill would reduce regulatory burdens in the Medicaid program to allow children with complex medical needs greater access to out-of-state providers who can best meet their needs by creating an alternative opt-in pathway for providers to enroll in multiple state Medicaid programs.

APHON joined the Alliance for Childhood Cancer in endorsing the Clinical Trial Coverage Act of 2022, which would reduce this financial barrier for families by requiring insurers to cover out-of-network routine care for a clinical trial if the provider operating the trial is not in network. Reducing this barrier will increase access for children to participate in clinical trials, which will advance better treatments and outcomes for patients with childhood cancer.

APHON signed on to two letters with the Patient Quality of Life Coalition (PQLC) in an effort to get the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) to reconsider and keep palliative care as a strategic priority in the NINR 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. One letter was in direct response to the NINR’s request for feedback from the public and the other was a letter to Francis S. Collins, MD PhD, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director

APHON joined the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) letter strongly urging the Senate to preserve shared nursing priorities, including support for nursing education pathways such as the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act in the Build Back Better Act.