Don't Miss an Exclusive Opportunity for CANP Members to Learn the Latest About AB 890

As Assembly Bill 890 continues its march through the Legislature, we realize that keeping up with the rapidly-evolving process can at times be mind-numbing. That’s why we’re inviting CANP members to join us May 2 at 4:30 p.m. for a conference call during which we’ll provide an overview of the latest developments.

I’ll be joined on the call by CANP Legislative Advocate Kristy Wiese; Susie Phillips, DNP, NP, FAANP, Associate Dean at the UC Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing; and Garrett Chan, PhD, NP, CNS, FAAN, President & CEO of HealthImpact and Associate Clinical Professor at UC San Francisco. Both Susie and Garrett have extensive experience in nurse practitioner practice and legislative matters and are advising CANP on AB 890.

CANP members have been sent an email containing information on how to participate. We hope that you can join us. In the meantime, we’ve compiled and provided responses to these frequently asked questions about the bill and the process to date.

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Lobby Day Draws Near – Our next big CANP event, Lobby Day, is coming May 13. We naturally had been hoping for a high turnout this year due to the introduction of AB 890. We’re happy to report that those hopes have been exceeded, as the event is now sold out, and we won't be able to accept any onsite registrations.

We’re grateful for this unprecedented level of support among our members and allies, and we’re looking forward to showing our strength at the State Capitol as we meet with legislators to make the case for removing NP practice barriers.

You’ve heard it before, but it always bears repeating – nobody is better equipped to tell the NP story than NPs themselves, and grassroots outreach to legislators is a critical part of our effort. If you’re planning on joining us in Sacramento for Lobby Day, we look forward to seeing you. Be on the lookout for more details and materials that will be available in advance of the event.

If you aren’t attending Lobby Day, we’re still counting on you, and there are plenty of other ways you can play a part in helping AB 890 move through the legislative process.

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New Grassroots Resource – Our online Assembly Bill 890 Toolkit contains a number of resources developed to assist you in your grassroots activism. We’ve now added a new tool to make it even easier to contact your legislators to urge their support for the bill. Through the Advocacy Action Center located within the toolkit, you can participate in campaigns to send pre-written messages to your legislators via email or Twitter. After filling out a short form that helps determine which legislative district you live in (and, thus, which legislators your messages will be sent to), you’re just a couple of clicks away from engaging.

Many of you recently received a Call to Action email inviting you to participate in one of two Action Center campaigns that are currently underway: one directed to members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee (where the bill will be heard next), and another targeting all other members of the Assembly. Since the tool will only allow you to send messages to your own representatives, you’ll only be able to participate in one of the campaigns (depending on whether your Assemblymember sits on the Appropriations Committee). We encourage you participate by clicking the campaign link included in the Call to Action email you received, or to explore the Action Center, determine which of the two campaigns is appropriate for you, and fire off those messages today.

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Support is Surging – The list of influential organizations in support of AB 890 continues to grow, with America’s Physician Groups (formerly known as the California Association of Physician Groups, or CAPG) the latest to express their support. They join such organizations as the Steinberg Institute, SEIU California and the California Hospital Association in backing the ability for California NPs to practice to the full extent of their experience and expertise.

While opposition to the bill, led by the California Medical Association, remains formidable, the growing list of supporters indicates that our message is getting through – that more and more organizations for which quality health care is a priority realize the benefit of freeing nurse practitioners to do their jobs. There are still hills to climb on the path to the Governor’s desk, but our forward momentum is undeniable. Eyes on the prize!

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Social Media Milestones – We’ve long been touting the benefits of active engagement on social media to advance our collective interests. As membership grows, so too does the online engagement of our members. We recently reached 1,000 followers on Instagram, which is a relatively new channel for CANP, and we are nearing 2,000 followers on Twitter and 5,000 on Facebook. I want to give a shout out to our staff, including Communications & Marketing Coordinator Jaye Priest, our in-house social media guru. Jaye’s daily attention to plotting content and managing our accounts has taken our online presence to new heights across all of our social media channels.

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Future Conference Locations – With San Diego in the rear-view mirror, we’re looking ahead to our 43rd Annual Educational Conference taking place March 19-22, 2020 in Riverside. Following the board’s March 14 meeting, we can also announce that our 44th Annual Educational Conference will take us to Pasadena in 2021. That decision was the culmination of outreach to 13 locations across the state, review of proposals, consideration of the space needed to host our event, cost and availability in relation to our desired March schedule. Many thanks to Events & Education Director Erin Meyer for her research and review efforts dedicated to finding the best possible locations for our premier annual event.

Rest assured that we are indeed investigating Northern California venues for future conferences. In the short-term, that quest is complicated by the fact that one of the North State’s largest conference venues (and one of the few that can accommodate our space needs in a cost-efficient manner) is undergoing a complete renovation that is expected to be completed in 2021. We hear you, Nor Cal members, and we promise good news is coming.

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Enhanced Connections Content – In this edition of Connections you’ll find a compelling story about CANP member Holly Kirkland-Kyhn’s “in the field” work providing services to the homeless population in the Sacramento region. This article is the first to emanate from our Editorial Committee, which was formed to generate recommendations for stories that illustrate the diverse and sometimes unique ways in which nurse practitioners are serving their communities. This “idea factory” is chaired by Immediate Past President Theresa Ullrich, and includes former CANP Presidents Donna Emanuele and Surani Kwan, and current San Diego North Chapter President Samantha Gambles-Farr. Our thanks go out to them and Communications Director Jeff Wagner for their ongoing contributions to elevating our signature publication while finding new ways to share the incredible work being done by our members.

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New Staff on Board – We recently welcomed a new member to CANP’s team in Sacramento. You’ll now find Jessica Thompson as the front line of customer service for our members in her role as Association Services Coordinator. Jessica most recently worked in the Executive/Project Management arm of the Secretary of State’s office, where she contributed to the development of systems to track lobbying financial activity and campaign disclosure information. She also coordinated with 35 counties across the state as part of the Election Observation Program for the 2018 primary and general elections. Jessica steps into the role previously held by Erin Meyer before Erin’s recent move to the Events & Education Director position. Welcome, Jessica!

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Focus on Growth – AB 890 obviously tops our priority list, but it’s far from the only thing occupying our attention. With just over two months left in the current fiscal year, CANP staff is in the process of developing recommendations for our 2019-2020 operating budget. Staff will present its recommendations to the Finance Committee next month. Pending approval of the Finance Committee, the budget will then be presented to the Board of Directors during its June 25 meeting.

This process illuminates just one of many prominent ways in which our professional staff, under the direction of our Board of Directors and Executive Director Rob Finley and his team, has fostered tremendous growth in our Association. Over the previous five fiscal years, CANP’s income has grown by 45 percent, topping one million dollars for the first time two years ago. As you can see from the financial pie chart we update online every July, virtually every penny of income is invested back into programs and services that enhance the value of membership while promoting further growth. That includes tactics spearheaded by our team and Kim Rothschild, Senior Director, Marketing and Business Development, to attract new members and retain current ones – enabling us to build upon what already stands as an all-time high of nearly 3,800 members.