Published February 03, 2021 
AACN’s 2021 Virtual Student Policy Summit is Less Than a Month Away – Register Today!
Reserve your seat today for the upcoming virtual Student Policy Summit taking place from March 1-31, 2021. Baccalaureate and graduate nursing students enrolled at an AACN member institution may participate in recorded and live sessions to learn more about the policy process from leading experts. For this year’s Summit, there is no limit on the number of students who can participate in this exciting virtual event. In fact, AACN member schools have the option to register students in three categories: individual students, Breakout (up to 5 students), or Class Pass (up to 10 students). For more detailed information, the current agenda, or to register, visit the Student Policy Summit website. To sponsor the 2021 Summit, click here. We look forward to “seeing” everyone in March!
Mental Health Discussion: Harvard Webinar on Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19
On January 27, the Harvard Forum and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) jointly presented a webinar on Mental Health in the Time of COVID-19, which focused on how the pandemic has led to a global and national mental health crisis. Panelists highlighted how these mental health risks disproportionally hurt frontline health workers, communities of color, and young individuals. Though there is no quick fix, the panelists called for more investments and strategic efforts to address this issue. Viewers were encouraged to reach out to their local mental health facilities or call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-NAMI for mental health assistance. You can view the recording, transcript, and additional resources related to this topic here.
Bipartisan Legislation Re-introduced to Strengthen Nurse Corps and National Health Service Corps
On January 26, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Strengthening America's Health Care Readiness Act (S.54). This bipartisan legislation would provide $1 billion in funding to the Nurse Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs and $5 billion in funding to the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) to help ensure nursing students, and nurses, enter into practice where health care is needed the most, including in health professional shortage areas and medically underserved regions. S. 54 also would create an NHSC Emergency Service Corps, a demonstration project that could help in an emergency capacity while bolstering loan repayments for healthcare professionals, including nurses.
As Congress continues to consider the next round of COVID-19 relief, AACN joined with other organizations by sending a letter to leadership outlining our support for this bill. For the latest legislative information from AACN, please follow @AACNPolicy on Twitter.