Capitol Hill Day 2019 Summary Report & Request for Your Participation in Virtual Capital Hill Day

Capitol Hill Day 2019 Summary Report

NAPNAP represents over 9000 pediatric nurse practitioners, family nurse practitioners, and their fellow pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses dedicated to improving the quality of health care for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. NAPNAP began advocating for health and welfare in 1973.

The guiding principals of NAPNAP’s 2019 health policy agenda are:

• All children and their families have the right to a safe environment absent of discrimination and in recognition of their individuality and resilience.
• Children should have access to comprehensive, continuous, coordinated, compassionate, culturally sensitive and family-centered health care, including behavioral health services, in order to ensure healthy lifestyles.
• We strive to remove barriers that impede access to the care provided by pediatric advanced practice nurses in all practice settings.
• Commitment to national and grassroots advocacy by NAPNAP members is essential and should be supported by providing learning opportunities for members to support their development in advocates.

The items we spoke to our legislators included:

• Taking action to address the youth nicotine addiction by urging members of Congress to act this year to pass comprehensive, strong bipartisan legislation that will protect public health and reverse the increase in youth nicotine addiction.
• Improve public awareness of and access to vaccines and immunizations by strongly supporting the “Vaccines Act” and urge members of Congress to cosponsor H.R. 2862 and to encourage their leaders to pass this legislation this year, either separately or as part of a larger package of health care policies.
• Protect immigrant children in federal custody by urging Congress to act this year to pass legislation ensuring that immigrant children in federal custody get the health care screenings and treatments they need, including the “Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act” (H.R. 3239/S. 2135).
• Support pediatric advance practice nurse education by urging Congress to keep its commitment to meeting the nation’s health workforce needs by supporting the highest possible funding for Title VIII nursing workforce programs for fiscal year 2020 and to cosponsor the “Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019” (H.R. 728/S. 1399) and to pass this legislation this year.

Please participate in Virtual Capitol Hill Day by acting on the items in the email sent by NAPNAP so you can also ask your legislators to support our important causes.

Linda Frye

e-Chapter Legislative Chair