National nursing groups met with President Donald Trump and White House officials this week amid their concerns about protecting healthcare workers during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The meeting on March 18 involved 13 nursing organizations, including the American Nurses Association, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
American Nurses Association CNO Debbie Hatmaker, PhD, RN, said she urged federal officials to provide nurses with enough personal protective equipment and said there was a need for creative staffing strategies to ensure a healthy nursing workforce as more people contract COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Randall Moore, DNP, CRNA, CEO of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, told Becker's Hospital Review nursing organizations also "came across consistently loud and clear" with their concerns about the supply of ventilators.
On March 18, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, a law boosting production of medical supplies to fight the pandemic. The federal government said it plans to increase production of ventilators, face masks and other equipment.
Mr. Moore said he asked that federal barriers be removed that limit advanced practice nurses from practicing at the full scope of their education and expertise. CMS indicated it would look into the issue, he said.
"We respectfully requested that the administration work expeditiously to lift all federal barriers that today prevent NPs from practicing to the top of their profession," said David Hebert, JD, CEO of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. "Further, we call on the nation's governors to immediately suspend all legislative and regulatory barriers that prevent NPs from providing patients with full and direct access to all the healthcare services NPs are clinically educated and prepared to provide. We must give NPs the tools and authority now to protect the health and safety of patients."
Read more about the meeting here.
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