VNA will host their 2021 Lobby Days next week!

What’s a Lobby Day?
It’s a day to advocate for nurses and the nursing profession! We will meet with legislators to talk about 2021 legislation and issues including full practice authority for APRNs and much more.

What if I’ve never met with a legislator before?
Don’t worry! We will have staff and experienced nurses to help lead the way, as well as prepared talking points and leave-behind sheets. Additionally, we will  have a pre-session training webinar available, which will optionally be available online. 

Do I have to be a VNA member? 
No! We encourage ALL nurses to join us. Please share this information with anyone who might be interested!

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our events this year will be held virtually with a number of changes to the format. This year’s legislative session is potentially going to be shortened to 30 days, and legislators can only carry 8 bills forward during session, so we are anticipating that much of the action will occur in the beginning of the legislative session this year.

All nurses are welcome to join us – you do not have to be a VNA member to attend. 

Our sessions will last approximately one hour and will include an overview of our policy platform, our bill progress, tools for reaching legislators, and talking points to share with them about our current legislation.

Before the meeting, we will encourage all attendees to contact one or both of their legislators to set up an individual virtual meeting. Many legislators are scheduling these via Zoom during session as they would regular meetings, and we will provide the materials about our policy platform to leave behind and tips for having successful meetings.

2021 Lobby Days dates:

• Monday, January 18, 2021 @ 9am
• Tuesday, January 19, 2021 @ 9am
• Thursday, January 21, 2021 @ 9am
• Thursday, January 21, 2021 @ 12pm
• Friday, January 22, 2021 @ 9am

VCNP President, Becky Compton, provided an Op Ed piece in the The Roanoke Times titled, “Compton: Make nurse practitioners permanent solution to health care access in Virginia” published January 14, 2021.

The events that took place last week in our Nation’s Capital bring to mind the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” VCNP condemns the violence that took place in Washington, D.C. and reaffirms our commitment to civil discourse, diversity of backgrounds and respect for one another. As a nation and as health care professionals, we must take care of ourselves so we can take care of our community.

12:30 p.m. | 8 p.m.

Learn about HB 1737 and how you can advance NP practice in Virginia!

VCNP will host two virtual town hall meetings on January 6 to review HB 1737 and share resources to help members connect with their legislators and garner support from colleagues for our bill.

We will host these meetings at 12:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. in order to reach the most registrants. Please join us during lunch or evening hours to learn how you can affect change! Each event will last thirty minutes.

Learn about HB 1737 and how you can help advance NP practice in Virginia!

VCNP will host two, half-hour, virtual town hall meetings on January 6 to review HB 1737 and share resources to help members connect with legislators to request their support of our bill.

• VCNP will host two events on January 6 in order reach the most people.

• Please register to join us at 12:30 p.m. or. 8 p.m. to participate. Each meeting will last 30 minutes.

• Register by selecting one of the buttons below. Please choose your desired time.

• Free registration is open to members and non-members.

• No CE will be offered for this program.

• Registrants will receive the connect link in their registration confirmation email.

Registration is limited, so register now!

Please reach out to members of the Senate Education and Health committee and the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee to ask for their support of HB 1737. The 2021 General Assembly session begins January 13 and may last only 30 days, which means we need to contact legislators NOW. 

VCNP Members can find the link in their member email accounts, or by logging in to their member profile and selecting “Advocacy” under the “Advocacy” tab, then selecting the campaign dated 12/28/20.