The federal agency charged with carrying out $140 million worth of programs for nurse and health care professional mental health following the COVID pandemic should incorporate and engage medical-surgical nurses in their implementation, says a May 21 letter from AMSN to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

“Because pandemic-driven medical-surgical nurse burnout places at risk the sufficiency of future nursing workforce to meet patient needs, effective uptake and implementation of federally funded initiatives and programming intended to improve nurse mental health depends on nurse engagement at their outset,” wrote AMSN President Summer Bryant, DNP, RN, CMSRN. “Further, because COVID has hit hardest upon African Americans and people and communities of color, we recommend that agency initiatives intended to improve health care professionals’ mental health prioritize services for persons who have been engaged in treating underserved communities.”

A major new report on “The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity” takes and amplifies advice AMSN gave the National Academy of Medicine during the report’s development. AMSN, in a statement, commended the National Academy’s May 11 report “for its clarity in turning back the harmful effects of racism in health and health care, supporting nurse workforce development and well-being, and urging innovation in care delivery including telehealth to support quality care and improve patient outcomes – all priorities consistent with the mission and vision of the nation’s sole organization representing medical-surgical nursing.” Read the report.

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AMSN continues to recommend everyone eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19, speaking in response to interim public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 13. View the new guidelines.

States and localities receiving $350 billion in federal COVID aid should allocate a portion of it to critical health needs, AMSN wrote America’s governors, legislatures, county executives, and mayors in a letter May 21. Those priority needs, AMSN said, include securing localized, personalized protective equipment (PPE) stockpiles, investing in nursing workforce development, ensuring health equity, and maximizing telehealth for care delivery. “Our members in communities your members serve and nationwide are eager to engage in initiatives that improve health and health care, turn back discrimination and the harmful legacy of racism, and make effective and cost-effective use of ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds,” wrote AMSN President Bryant.

2021 AMSN Legislative Virtual Fly-In is coming!

AMSN is conducting second-ever AMSN Legislative Virtual Fly-In this spring, empowering our AMSN nurses to be heard on policies that affect the med-surg nursing profession.

Leading members of AMSN will be meeting with select members of Congress to be heard on vital AMSN policy issues – promoting workforce development, implementing new mental health resources for nurses and other health care professionals, strengthening access to telehealth, and advancing leadership of nurses.

As part of the AMSN Legislative Virtual Fly-In, members will have opportunity to sign a Petition to Congress outlining these key advocacy issues so that every member’s voice is heard. Keep alert for your opportunity to be heard on Capitol Hill!

If you are interested in the legislative process:

• to address current and emerging nursing and health care issues;
• to communicate with elected officials on key issues impacting nursing and health care;
• and making meaningful connections with legislators to lay the foundation and build an ongoing relationship.

Join us at the AMSN Legislative Virtual Fly-In soon!

Keep a look out for the AMSN Petition to Congress