Advocacy/Health Policy
APHON is committed to ensuring that Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses are provided with the latest information on pending legislative and regulatory issues and activities impacting the profession and patients. For more information, view our health policy agenda or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Legislative Action Center
The APHON Legislative Action Center provides federal and state legislative information about pediatric hematology/oncology patient care and nursing. Get involved by staying informed and taking action!
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Advocacy Correspondent
A quarterly offering from the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, the newsletter's goal is to inform members about legislative and regulatory issues impacting the profession of pediatric hematology/oncology nursing and the patients we serve.
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Sign-on Letters
Sign-on letters are policy-oriented letters sent to Congress members, congressional committees, or federal agencies expressing the signatories' viewpoint.
Title VIII, STAR Act, Cancer Drug Parity, Creating Hope, COVID-19 Packages, and Other Key Legislation
APHON and CIACC Send Biden-Harris Transition Letter
December 7, 2020
APHON joined a transition letter from the Coalition to Improve Access to Cancer Care (CIACC) to the Biden-Harris Administration, which introduces the coalition and the oral parity issue and highlights the importance of oral anticancer treatments, access to care, and the Cancer Drug Parity Act.
APHON and NCC Send Biden-Harris Transition Letter
November 13, 2020
APHON joined the Nursing Community Coalition’s (NCC) transition letter welcoming President-elect Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. The letter underscores the importance of nurses in policy discussions and the role of nurses on the transition team, specifically the COVID-19 taskforce. The letter also reiterates funding requests for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR).
APHON Joins Congressional Endorsement Letter for the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act
October 27, 2020
APHON signed on to a congressional endorsement letter with the Alliance for Childhood Cancer for the CLINICAL TREATMENT Act. This legislation would ensure that all routine care costs of clinical trial participation are covered for Medicaid enrollees with life-threatening conditions, such as cancer.
APHON and NCC Urge Congressional Leaders to Support the FAAN Act
September 30, 2020
APHON and the Nursing Community Coalition urged congressional leaders to include the Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act in the next COVID-19 package. The FAAN Act was introduced by nurses in Congress, Representatives Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30), and Nursing Caucus Co-Chair Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
APHON and NCC Reiterate Importance of Title VIII and Other COVID-19 Priorities to Congress
August 18, 2020
APHON and the Nursing Community Coalition reiterated their shared priorities, including Title VIII, in a letter sent to House and Senate leadership and key congressional committees outlining priorities for any COVID-19 legislative package.
APHON Supports Rural Health and Telehealth Access to Oral Chemotherapy
August 14, 2020
Through CIACC, APHON joined the letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar urging HHS to consider oral chemotherapy access as they implement the Executive Order on Improving Rural Health and Telehealth Access. This is particularly important as it is related to telehealth expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic.
APHON and CIACC Send Oral Parity and Pandemic Preparedness Letter to Senate HELP Committee Chairman
June 26, 2020
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) in response to the Preparing for the Next Pandemic white paper. The letter advocates for the Cancer Drug Parity Act and oral chemotherapy and expanded access to care during COVID-19 and beyond in future pandemics and public health emergencies.
APHON Joins the Alliance for Childhood Cancer's Creating Hope Reauthorization Act Letter to the Senate
June 26, 2020
This Senate letter supports permanently reauthorizing the FDA priority review voucher program to incentivize pharmaceutical manufacturers to invest in drugs with indications for rare pediatric diseases through the Creating Hope Act Reauthorization Act.
APHON Sends Letter to Congress Outlining Additional COVID-19 Priorities
April 28, 2020
APHON and fellow Nursing Community Coalition members sent a letter to House and Senate leadership thanking them for their work to combat COVID-19 and outlining additional priorities for future COVID-19 legislation.
APHON, NCCN, ASH, and Others Support Funding for the WHO
September 11, 2020
Following the July letter organized by NCCN urging the US to remain in the World Health Organization (WHO), APHON joined NCCN, ASH, ACS CAN, HOPA and others to support funding for the WHO. This letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and key committee members.
APHON, NCCN, ASCO, and Others Urge the President to Keep the US in the WHO
July 16, 2020
In mid-July, APHON, ASCO, ASH, HOPA, and others joined a letter organized by NCCN urging the president to reconsider the withdrawal of the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). This reinforces APHON’s support for the WHO, an organization that is foundational to cancer care. The letter expresses support for the bipartisan Global Hope Act, which passed the House and was introduced by Reps. McCaul (R-TX) and Engel (D-NY). The Global Hope Act supports the notion that the US should work to support the WHO Initiative for Childhood Cancer goals, which helps increase survival rates for children with cancer.
APHON and Fellow NCC Members United in Fight against Racism and Injustice
June 2020
APHON and fellow Nursing Community Coalition members stand united in the fight against racial inequality and injustice. We call for America to be better and pledge to do all we can in that cause.
APHON Contacts the White House for Nursing Mental Health During COVID-19
May 19, 2020
Several nursing organizations, including APHON and led by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, submitted a letter to the White House as a call to action for psychological first aid for nurses on the frontline of COVID-19 patient care. The letter was also shared with Health and Human Services and Congress, as well as state governors, as activating and deploying this aid, would require state action.
APHON Supports the STAR Act and the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative
November 24, 2020
The STAR Act and the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative were both included and fully funded in the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee FY 2021 draft bill. The House passed legislation fully funding both during the summer and APHON joined this letter to the Senate and House to reiterate the need for full funding.
APHON Urges House and Senate to Fund CDC Sickle Cell Disease Data Collection Program
November 23, 2020
Following a congressional briefing that APHON participated in on sickle cell disease (SCD) hosted by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America (SCDAA), in conjunction with Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representatives Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Michael Burgess (R-TX), APHON urged the House and Senate to fund the CDC's Sickle Cell Disease Data Collection Program.
APHON Joins Title VIII and NINR House and Senate Appropriations Letter
November 20, 2020
APHON and the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) sent a letter to the House and Senate appropriations committees requesting at least $269.972 for Title VIII Nursing Workforce and Development Programs and at least $177.976 for the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) for FY 2021.
APHON Joins Letter Welcoming the New NINR Director, Dr. Shannon Zenk
August 31, 2020
APHON joined the Nursing Community Coalition’s letter welcoming the new National Institute of Nursing Research’s (NINR) Director, Dr. Shannon Zenk. This is part of APHON’s efforts to promote the work of nurse scientists and advocate for investments in research.
APHON Sends Letter to Appropriators Reiterating FY 2021 Funding Request
June 22, 2020
APHON signed on to the Nursing Community Coalition letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education reiterating our shared funding request of at least $278 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and at least $182 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research for Fiscal Year 2021.
APHON Sends Funding Letters to House and Senate for DOD Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program
June 2020
Through the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, APHON sent funding letters to House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense supporting the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP). The request includes an increase to $130 million for PRCRP and the continued inclusion of pediatric brain tumors and neuroblastoma as eligible topics of funding under the program.
APHON Submits Testimony to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
April 23, 2020
APHON joined sixty members of the Nursing Community Coalition and signed on to written testimony submitted to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The testimony included funding requests of $278 million for the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and $182 million for the National Institute for Nursing Research for Fiscal Year 2021.
APHON Joins the Alliance for Childhood Cancer’s FY21 NIH Appropriations Requests to House and Senate
March 9, 2020
APHON signed on to the Alliance’s FY21 NIH appropriations requests, calling for increases in funding for medical research: $3 billion for the NIH and $500 million for the NCI. A request for $30 million to fund the initiatives set forth in the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act was included.
APHON Sends PRIs Letter to House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees
February 27, 2020
APHON joined with the American Association for Clinical Chemistry to support pediatric reference intervals (PRIs) with a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. It includes a recommendation that Congress provides the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Environmental Health Laboratory with an additional $10 million in FY 2021 to initiate and advance this essential work.
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Coalitions
Many times, the best way to make an impact with a broad audience is to partner with a coalition that can help advance our priority issues. APHON belongs to the following coalitions:
