For millions of patients, the care that could save their lives remains out of reach. Working to close this gap is part of PCNA’s mission, and on June 24th, 2026, we took that mission to Washington, D.C.
Showing Up Where It Matters
This year, 11 PCNA nurse advocates, including members of our Board of Directors and Advocacy Committee, traveled to Capitol Hill to show up, speak up, and lead with purpose.
In a single day, PCNA advocates participated in 24 legislative meetings with Congressional staff, representing nurses and patients across 10 states. They were there as experts, clinicians, and the voice of the most trusted profession in the country.
Making the Case for Access
The legislation PCNA advocated for this year shared the single, urgent theme of access to care. From access to nurses who can deliver care, to access to the programs that prevent and manage disease, each policy priority seeks to provide care to patients regardless of where they live, who they are, or what barriers stand in their way.
PCNA urged Members of Congress to support:
The Improving Care and Access to Nurses (I CAN) Act — Removing outdated barriers so advanced practice nurses can deliver the full scope of care their patients need, especially in communities where nurses are often the primary or only point of care.
The Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act — expanding access to life-changing cardiac rehab programs, particularly in underserved and rural communities where patients are already facing the greatest barriers to care.
The PRECEPT Nurses Act — investing in the next generation of nurses by supporting the preceptors who train them, ensuring the pipeline of cardiovascular nurses who will deliver tomorrow’s care is strong, skilled, and ready.
The Women’s Heart Health Expansion Act — ensuring women have equitable access to cardiovascular screening, prevention, and care, closing a gap that has cost too many women their health and their lives.
These aren’t abstract policy priorities; they are the real-world barriers that cardiovascular nurses navigate every single day on behalf of their patients. They are all, at their core, about making sure every patient can get to the care they need.
A First for PCNA
For the first time in PCNA’s history, we convened a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill titled, “Improving Cardiovascular Outcomes: The Essential Role of Nurses in Prevention and Care.” And the room was packed!
Legislative staff and policymakers heard directly from four of PCNA’s most accomplished nurse leaders:
- Jane Linderbaum, MS, ARNP, FACC, FPCNA — Member, PCNA Board of Directors
- Emily Jones, PhD, RNC-OB, FAAN, FAHA, FPCNA — President-Elect, PCNA Board of Directors
- Kristan Langdon, DNP, APRN, ANP-C, CPHQ — Chair, PCNA Advocacy Committee
- Eryn Bryant, MS, APRN-CNP, FPCNA — Member, PCNA Board of Directors & Advocacy Committee
Together, they made the case for what cardiovascular nurses have always known: prevention works, access to care makes it possible, and policy needs to reflect both.
The panel brought clinical realities to the table alongside tangible legislative solutions, connecting the lived experiences of nurses and patients to the decisions being made in the halls of Congress. The message was clear: when patients can’t access care, it isn’t just a healthcare failure. It’s a policy failure, and nurses are in a great position to help fix it.
Why This Moment Matters
Behind every policy barrier is a patient who drove two hours to see a specialist. A woman whose heart disease went undetected because she couldn’t get screened. A community without a cardiac rehab program because no one fought to fund one. A new nurse who never got the training she needed because her preceptor was stretched too thin.
Access to care isn’t a policy abstraction; it’s reality for patients across the county. The nurses who see this reality every day are exactly the right people to be standing in the halls of Congress demanding change.
PCNA’s Hill Day is a statement that nurses are not a supporting cast in healthcare and that prevention is not optional. The cardiovascular nursing community has a voice in the decisions that shape the future of care in this country. And that voice only gets stronger when more nurses are part of it.
Your Voice Belongs in This Work
PCNA was founded on the belief that nurses are the key to transforming cardiovascular health not just at the bedside, but in classrooms, communities, research labs, and the halls of Congress.
Whether you’re early in your career or a seasoned nurse leader, there is a place for you in this mission. As a PCNA member, you’re not just accessing world-class education, resources, and community. You’re joining a movement of nurses who refuse to accept that life-saving preventive care should be out of reach for anyone.
PCNA is committed to supporting nurses making a difference in their patients’ lives through advocacy at the local, state, regional, and national levels. No matter what your experience with advocacy, PCNA has resources to help. Check out the advocacy toolkit, with trainings and tips to get you started.
