Nurse Practitioners – 125,000 Solutions to the Primary Care Shortage

Is the theme for the 2009 National NP Week, November 8 - 14. Use this occasion to celebrate the vital role that NPs play in bringing high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patientcentered, personalized primary care to all populations of the United States.

The shortage of primary care providers is a hot topic in the healthcare reform debate. NP Week is a good opportunity to showcase the many ways that NPs are the primary care providers of choice for many patients and to let others in your community know about the value of NP-delivered primary care.

AANP offers the following resource guide for your use in planning and executing a successful week building awareness of the nurse practitioner as well as educating the general public about the value and benefits of having an NP as their healthcare provider.

This is your opportunity to deliver a message about NPs and to shape a perception in the minds of the general public about the advantages of choosing an NP as their Partner in Health. Although the current healthcare debate lends itself to promoting NPs as primary care providers, this is still an opportunity to bring attention to the acute and specialty healthcare services provided by NPs.

This guide should be considered a starter kit to help you think creatively about ways to celebrate the many contributions NPs make to patients seen and communities served. Components of the guide are:

1. Suggested community activities

2. Suggested activities through AANP partnerships with variety of national groups and organizations

3. Sample proclamation

4. Sample news release

5. Eight scripted radio public service announcements

6. NP Facts sheet

7. NP Week posters that can be downloaded and printed locally

8. Roll Call Ad Please let us know how you celebrate this week so we can share your stories in a future publication .

 

Submit articles (300 word maximum) and photos electronically to editor@aanp.org 

Review the resource guide and contact AANP if you have any questions.

Plan now to make NP Week 2009 an event to remember!