ANA-Vermont Hosts Hill Day at the State Capitol

On Tuesday February 11th, the newly formed Vermont Nurse Coalition comprised of the American Nurses Association of Vermont (ANA-Vermont), the Emergency Nurses Association Vermont State Council Vermont (ENA), and the Vermont Nurse Practitioners Association (VNPA) hosted Hill Day at the Capitol. With an early morning start in Montpelier, the day began with a thoughtful and inspiring Message from Senator Peter Welch.

Following the warm welcome from the Senator, more than 60 nurses from all three associations and nursing students from the Vermont State University (VTSU) attended a Legislative Breakfast at the Vermont State House with state representatives to address the leading priorities of Workplace Violence Prevention, Certificate of Need Reform, and Workforce Development and Retention. Nurses enjoyed dedicated time with Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers, House Health Care Committee Chair Allyssa Black and Vice Chair Francis McFaun. They also met with Representatives Monique Priestly, Lori Houghton, Maria Cordes.

The Legislative Breakfast was followed by scheduled meetings with committees and legislators throughout the day. Nurses gathered in the Hall of Representatives for recognition by the Vice Chair of the Health Care Committee and were met with great applause. Small groups of nurse representatives were invited to meet with the Lieutenant Governor Rodgers in his office and with the Senate Health Care Committee. Selected members from each chapter met with the House Health Care Committee for an introduction and overview of the top priorities. You can read additional information about the agenda items on the  House Committee on Health Care Agenda (vermont.gov) or watch a recording of the testimony on the House Healthcare 2025-02-11 - 3:00PM (youtube.com). 

Prior to the event, all nurse attendees were provided with relevant information and resources about current legislative priorities. Experienced nurse colleagues from each of the hosting chapters were available throughout the event to provide support and mentorship to nurses that were new to healthcare advocacy. At the end of the day, attendees shared that they enjoyed the opportunity to advocate for policy change and felt comfortable meeting with legislators. The legislators shared that they were glad to hear from nurses because they mostly hear from hospital executives, insurances representatives, and lobbyists – so nurses left them with a copy of our Vermont Nurse Coalition Leave Behind Flyer and advised them to stay in touch.