Nursing Academy & 96 Organizations Deliver Letter to Congress Calling for Bipartisan Commission on Mass Shootings

WASHINGTON, March 01, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American Academy of Nursing delivered a letter to Congressional leadership today urging them to launch a bipartisan National Commission on Mass Shootings. The letter has been cosigned by more than 90 organizations, including the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, the ABIM Foundation, the National Association of School Nurses, American Nurses Association, Massachusetts General Hospital, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and The Arnold P. Gold Foundation.

Read the letter here: http://bit.ly/2CptUto

On February 16, following the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the Academy released a statement recommending that Congress launch this Commission within 30 days, and specifying that it should be charged with identifying strategies that address seven specific challenges.

Academy President Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FAAN, Executive Vice President/COO, Children's Mercy Kansas City said, "The 96 organizations that have cosigned our letter share a commitment to keep children, parents, families, teachers, responders, and administrators safe. Enough is enough. We need common sense gun laws, and we need Congress to step up and lead."

"The Academy's charge to establish a bipartisan National Commission on Mass Shootings is to develop comprehensive strategies that improve and strengthen policy concerning background checks, gun purchase restrictions, a ban on assault weapons, and health care professionals' ability to fully fulfill their role in preventing firearm injuries," urged Academy President-Elect Eileen Sullivan-Marx, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

About the American Academy of Nursing
The American Academy of Nursing (http://www.AANnet.org) serves the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. The Academy's more than 2,500 fellows are nursing's most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice, and research. They have been recognized for their extraordinary contributions to nursing and healthcare.

CONTACT:
Barry Eisenberg
202-777-1174
Barry_Eisenberg(at)aannet(dot)org

SOURCE American Academy of Nursing