Driving Change: Nurse Advocates at the Forefront of Cardiovascular Policy

PCNA Advocacy Committee Bi-Annual Update

As the most trusted healthcare professionals in the United States, nurses bring a critical perspective to healthcare policy and advocacy. Their frontline experiences with patients from a variety of demographic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds enable them to speak about the real-world impacts of healthcare policies.

PCNA recognizes this potential for change, and through our Advocacy Committee, we engage nurses in the policymaking process, fostering personal and professional growth while shaping the future of cardiovascular care.

Understanding the PCNA Advocacy Committee

The PCNA Advocacy Committee is the driving force behind our mission to empower nurses as leaders in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention and management through policy advocacy. This dedicated group amplifies the federal and state advocacy efforts of various organizations, formulates official position statements, provides public comments and testimonies, and, most importantly, offers PCNA members a voice in shaping crucial healthcare policies.

The following report highlights some of the key initiatives that PCNA’s Advocacy Committee has supported in the past six months. These efforts reflect the issues at the forefront of the Advocacy Committee’s work.

Make Your Voice Heard: Visit PCNA’s Action Center

PCNA has an Action Center that enables our members to reach out to their legislators individually and urge them to support legislation that promotes preventive cardiovascular care. You can send a personalized letter to your Congressmember and/or Senator expressing support for the following legislation:

• Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act (H.R.1717/S.575)
• Providing Real-World Education and Clinical Experience by Precepting Tomorrow’s (PRECEPT) Nurses Act (H.R.392/S.131)
• Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R.2531/S.1232)
• Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (TROA) of 2025 (H.R.4231/S.1973)
• Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025 (S.717)
• Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act (H.R.783/S.248)

Visit the Action Center

Promoting Preventive Cardiovascular Care: The Policy Priorities

Tobacco Use: Taking on a Leading Cause of Preventable Death

As the leading cause of preventable death and illness in the United States, tobacco use is the cause of about 1 in every 5 deaths annually.¹ Notably, the National Institutes of Health lists avoiding tobacco smoke as one of the best ways to reduce one’s risk of heart disease.² Smoking significantly increases one’s risk of developing heart disease because of damage to the heart and blood vessels that makes one more likely to develop atherosclerosis.³

Despite plentiful evidence of the harms associated with tobacco use, 49.2 million (19.8%) adults in the United States reported tobacco product use in 2022.⁴ PCNA works with our partners to support initiatives to reduce tobacco use among youth and adults in the United States, therefore promoting improvements in cardiovascular health.

Initiatives in Action:

• Opposing Funding Cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund: In February and May 2025, PCNA signed on to a joint letter from Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids urging Congress to oppose any proposed cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund during the budget reconciliation process.
• Urging Increased Funding for CDC’s Office on Smoking & Health: In March and April 2025, PCNA signed onto a letter from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids urging Congress to increase funding for the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health (OSH). Specifically, the resources for OSH support efforts to reduce youth and young adult tobacco use and prevent tobacco-caused disease. You can sign the Campaign’s petition to eliminate illegal tobacco products from the market here.

Supporting the Nursing Workforce: Our Most Trusted Healthcare Professionals

Nursing represents the largest healthcare profession, making up roughly 80% of the clinical workforce.⁵ The role of nurses is fundamental to healthcare in all settings from acute to long-term care, and an essential factor in patient outcomes.Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the increased demand for healthcare services exposed numerous existing issues within the healthcare system, leading record numbers of nurses to leave hospital settings or the profession altogether.⁶ According to the American Journal of

Medical Quality’s “United States Registered Nurse Workforce Report Care and Shortage Forecast”, a shortage of registered nurses is projected to continue to spread across the United States from 2009 to 2030, with the most intensity expected in the South and the West.⁷ Recent research supports increased economic investment in the nursing workforce in order to promote high-quality, affordable, and equitable healthcare.⁸ By promoting programs that seek to expand and empower the nursing workforce, PCNA works to advocate for increased preventive cardiovascular care.

Initiatives in Action:

• Preparing Tomorrow’s Nurses: In February 2025, PCNA signed on to the Nursing Community Coalition’s letter to House and Senate leadership urging for the inclusion of the Providing Real-World Education and Clinical Experience by Precepting Tomorrow’s (PRECEPT) Nurses Act (H.R.392/S.131) in budget reconciliation efforts this year.
• Supporting Expanded Access to Nurses: In March 2025, PCNA signed on to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ letter to Congress expressing support for the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act (H.R.1317/S.575). Read more about the I CAN Act and send a letter of support to your legislator via PCNA’s Action Center.
• Protecting the Health Care Workforce: In May 2025, PCNA signed on to the Nursing Community Coalition’s letter to Congress expressing support for the reintroduction of the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R.2531/S.1232).

Obesity and Health Equity: Promoting Comprehensive Care

Obesity prevalence in the United States has steadily increased over the past two decades, impacting over 40% of adults in America.⁹ These rates are even higher in minority and rural communities. As a chronic disease, obesity significantly increases one’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular disease mortality.¹⁰

As part of efforts to prevent CVD, it is important for healthcare providers to promote chronic disease interventions including lifestyle changes and pharmacological agents to effectively manage obesity. PCNA has supported such initiatives to expand access to anti-obesity medications and promote education on the importance of comprehensive care for obesity as a chronic disease.

Initiatives in Action:

• Urging Access to Anti-Obesity Medications: In January 2025, PCNA submitted public comments to CMS encouraging coverage of anti-obesity medications (AOMs)
• under Medicare and Medicaid. PCNA also signed on to a letter submitted by the National Council on Aging and the National Consumers League urging CMS to align their coverage policy to reflect obesity as a chronic disease.
• Call to Action for Comprehensive Obesity Management: In May 2025, PCNA’s Advocacy Committee published an article in the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing that called upon cardiovascular nurses to lead efforts in comprehensive obesity care to prevent cardiovascular disease and minimize adverse outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease. Read the call to action here.

Quality Care: Promoting Access to Innovative Treatments and Comprehensive Measures

Given the complexity of CVD, the need for innovative therapies that go beyond traditional therapies such as lifestyle modification, pharmacological treatments, and surgical interventions has increased in recent years. Emerging therapies have the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and prevent the development of CVD, especially as the prevalence of CVD continues to rise.PCNA has engaged in multiple strategies to encourage access to modern treatments and comprehensive measures to prevent CVD and improve patient outcomes.

Initiatives in Action:

• Reauthorization of Coverage for Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services: In February 2025, PCNA signed on to the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation’s letter to Congress expressing support for the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act (H.R.783/S.248). This legislation would reauthorize the hospital-based virtual rehabilitation programs that served 95% of patients prior to the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• Promoting Investment in Innovative Treatments: In April 2025, PCNA signed on to HealthyWomen’s letter to Congress expressing support for the Maintaining Investments in New Innovation (MINI) Act (H.R.1672).
• Protecting Patient Access to Cardiovascular Care: In July 2025, PCNA submitted public comments to the Oregon Prescription Drug Affordability Board urging the Board to consider potential unintended consequences on patient access when conducting affordability reviews of cardiovascular medications.

Maternal Health: Bridging Gaps in Postpartum Care

According to the American College of Cardiology, the United States has the highest rate of maternal mortality among high-income countries.¹¹ Among the causes of maternal mortality

in the U.S., cardiovascular disease is the leading factor, affecting roughly 600 U.S. women around the time of pregnancy in 2022.⁷ Cardiovascular conditions commonly seen around the time of pregnancy include peripartum cardiomyopathy, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and stroke.⁸

Ensuring regular provider visits before, during, and after pregnancy is critical for the prevention of maternal mortality resulting from cardiovascular causes. Especially for minority and underserved communities, postpartum Medicaid expansion can help minimize the negative consequences on maternal health that result from a lack of preventive care.

Initiatives in Action:

• Expanding Postpartum Medicaid Coverage: In March 2025, PCNA signed on to the American Heart Association’s letter to the Wisconsin State Legislature urging support for S.B.23, which would expand postpartum Medicaid coverage to 1 year.

Advocating for Cardiovascular Health

The PCNA Advocacy Committee plays a pivotal role in driving essential policy initiatives in the realms of tobacco use prevention, nursing workforce, obesity management, access to quality care, and maternal health. These areas are inextricably linked to cardiovascular health, making PCNA’s advocacy efforts indispensable.

As we reflect on the invaluable role nurses play in patient care, we’re reminded that their influence extends far beyond the bedside. By joining PCNA’s advocacy endeavors, healthcare professionals, policymakers, and the public at large can contribute to the betterment of cardiovascular care and the well-being of communities nationwide.

The path to a healthier, more equitable future begins with the unwavering commitment of organizations like PCNA and its Advocacy Committee, and it continues with the collective action of dedicated individuals who recognize the power of advocacy in shaping healthcare policies that save lives and promote well-being.