NCC commends CARES Act for including nursing priorities

The Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) commended Congress and the Trump administration for passing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) and signing it into law. The CARES Act includes four provisions that are priorities for nursing: safeguarding the health of nurses and patients through the acquisition of personal protective equipment; reauthorizing Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs; authorizing nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists to certify Medicare patients for home health benefits; and authorizing a Ready Reserve Corps, which can respond to public health crises, within the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. The NCC also praised the allocation of $100 billion for hospitals, health care providers, telehealth and rural health. AONL is one of 63 national nursing organizations that make up the NCC. (NCC statement, 3/27/20)