In December 2022, the American Academy of Nursing (Academy) hosted a policy dialogue on “Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mobilizing Nursing Leadership to Advance Global Equity.” The Academy’s Expert Panel on Global Nursing & Health, in collaboration with the Expert Panel on Health Equity, convened this dialogue to discuss policy issues and strategies to ensure more equitable distribution of resources such as vaccines, increase equity in the U.S. and abroad, and support nurses as they engage and emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses in all settings continue to be at the forefront of COVID-19 prevention, management, emergency response, strategic planning, and workforce sustainability efforts. This policy dialogue provided participants the opportunity to gain insights from leading experts on the need for increased attention to the emotional, financial, and physical recovery of the nursing workforce. The dialogue explored the critically important policy implications related to these issues and how the profession can advance them.

• Nurses are Integral in Building and Advocating for Safety Net Care in their Local Communities
  Safety net care is essential to uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable patients, yet it is often lacking or absent within health care systems. Safety net care goes beyond the delivery of high-quality care, to the need for clean water sanitation. Nurses, working with local, state, and national governments, have the experience to demonstrate the necessity of safety net care for vulnerable communities when support systems are not in place. Legislation that addresses the severe health inequities of care when large-scale health crises occur should be sought after.
• The Health Care System Must Prepare Now and Continually Reevaluate Community Needs to Prepare for the Next Global Pandemic or Public Health Crisis
  Nurses and the health care workforce are capable of emerging from this pandemic stronger than before, but should review and rectify the underlying deficiencies within healthcare systems that prevent the workforce from providing high-quality, cost-effective, and accessible universal health care. The importance of nurses as leaders and partners in their communities is crucial and ensures well-trained and compassionate nurses are providing high-quality care to their communities to eliminate suffering and alleviate economic stressors.
• The Nursing Workforce's Well-Being Must Be Supported In Order for the Profession to Address Inequities
  Nurses reported high levels of depressive symptoms, tiredness, and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s report entitled The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity[5] warns of increasing rates in the profession of poor mental health, including substance use disorders, and suicide. Legislation and regulatory policies that reinforce healthy work environments through advancing workplace safety by allocation of sufficient resources, standardization of security guidelines, and federal funding to increase access to evidence-based mental health and substance use disorders treatment are essential to the nursing workforce.
  

Guest Panelists

• Sheila M. Davis, DNP, ANP-BC, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer, Partners In Health
• Judy N. Khanyola, RCHN, MAHP, PGCert, FAAN, Chair, Center for Nursing and Midwifery, University of Global Health Equity
• Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President, International Council of Nurses

Planning Committee

• Karen Moore, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FNP-C, FAANP, FAAN, Associate Professor, Saint Louis University 
• Kathy Nokes, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor Emerita, Hunter College and Graduate Center - CUNY
• Billy Rosa, PhD, MBE, NP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, Behavioral Scientist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Patricia K. Bradley, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean, Inclusive Excellence; Associate Professor, Villanova University
• Teri Murray, PhD, PHNA-BC, RN, FAAN, Professor, Dean Emerita, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Saint Louis University School of Nursing

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