August 2026

Advocacy & Engagement

NCC Urges Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to Advance Legislation that Improves Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers

On August 4, fifty-seven members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) signed onto a letter to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The letter thanked the Committee for considering S.3296, the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act of 2025, and urged the Committee to advance this bill.

Events & Meetings

The Nursing Community Coalition held a virtual monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.

NCC Connections

• On August 10, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) issued a statement strongly opposing the Administration’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. To read the statement, click here.
• The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) is hosting a congressional briefing on September 17, 2026, in Washington, DC. For more information and to register, click here.
• The American Nurses Association (ANA), along with other health professions organizations, are hosting a briefing on workplace violence against healthcare works on September 17, 2026, from 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm (ET) in Washington, DC. For more information and to register, click here.
• Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) is hosting its annual NightinGala on October 7, 2026, in Washington, DC. For more information and to register, click here.
• DNPs of Color is holding its annual conference from October 15-18, 2026, in Detroit, MI. For more information and to register, click here.
• The Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs (NOVA) is holding its annual conference from October 21-23, 2026 in Providence, RI. For more information and to register, click here.
• The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) is holding its annual conference from November 12-14, 2026, in San Diego, CA. For more information and to register, click here.

In Case You Missed It…

• On July 24, Dr. Courtney Aklin was named as the Director of the National Institute of Nursing Research. To read the press release from NINR, click here.
• On August 8, the Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR), which would fund the federal government at current levels through December 11, 2026. The Senate CR would also delay the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)’s proposed rule, Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance, through December 11. 
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH)’s Office of Nutrition Research is holding an Integration of Nutrition Training into Health Care Education Challenge. NIH will award up to $2.1 million in prizes to organizations that help foster effective nutrition education programs across the county. For more information and to apply by September 15, 2026, click here. For other challenges and prize competitions being held by NIH, click here.

HPASC Purpose and Objectives

To promote awareness within the DNA of issues and concerns in the area of Health Policy and Advocacy that assists DNA and it’s members to achieve their strategic goal of effectively advocating for members, patients, and the general public by:

1. Increasing membership involvement and understanding in health policy and advocacy efforts.
2. Acting as a resource for information on issues related to health policy and advocacy.
3. Working with members to investigate, consider, report, and act on advocacy issues commensurate with DNA’s Strategic plan.
4. Facilitating membership awareness, discussions, and activities.

HPASC Projects

• Support nursing within the Nursing Community
• Support cancer research, prevention, and education with One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC)
• Support State  Legislation to  prohibit tanning bed use by Children with The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network ACS CAN
• Support The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association SUNucate

Health Policy Advocacy Scanning Council

Elizabeth Jonas, LNP -Co-Chair
Karrie Fairbrother, BSN, CDE, DNC
Maura Flynn, MPP, RN, DNC
Gayle Peterson, RN-BC

HPASC Official Advocacy Toolkit

Advocacy is hard to describe because it’s so very personal. That is because advocacy just means your voice. Whether a local school board or your states senator in D.C., you are the voice that can affect change but if you remain silent, your voice will not be counted for.

The DNA wanted to create a toolkit for all dermatology healthcare providers to be able to affect change where they see fit. We encourage you to look for small wins, these realistic achievements snowball into bigger wins through collaboration and visibility.

We encourage you to find a way to start down a path for change today. Learn about the political process, send an email to a representative, download a calendar of events, volunteer for a committee, join a patient advocacy group. Together, we will have our voices and our patient’s voices heard.

DCAN’s Advocacy Toolkit – DCAN is excited to release its new advocacy toolkit. It’s an extensive guide on how patients and clinicians can overcome payer resistance.