Oregon Celebrates Advanced Practice Providers
Advanced practice providers (APP) at OHSU celebrate after delivering their declaration to unionize with ONA to OHSU administration in January 2024. (Photo Courtesy of ONA).
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is proud to join elected officials, healthcare providers, patients and labor leaders in celebrating Oregon’s advanced practice providers (APPs) during APP Week, September 23-29, 2024. APP Week is a national celebration honoring the invaluable contributions of nurse practitioners (NPs), physician associates (PAs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), and certified registered nurse midwives (CNMs) whose advanced clinical skills, compassion, and patient-centered approach help hundreds of thousands of Oregonians lead healthier lives.
APPs are nationally recognized for expanding access to healthcare, improving patient outcomes, and filling critical gaps in Oregon’s healthcare systems. Many APPs work in underserved communities where they combat health disparities and increase health equity. As demand for healthcare continues to rise, Oregon’s more than 9.000 APPs are vital to ensure all Oregonians have access to timely, comprehensive healthcare.
Oregon State Representative Travis Nelson (Portland), a registered nurse and experienced healthcare advocate recognized Oregon’s APPs for their service in a letter this week stating:
“Thank you to all of ONA’s APP members and all APPs across the state especially during this week of September 23 - 29, 2024,” Representative Nelson said. “APPs significantly improve access to healthcare in rural and underserved communities, providing primary and specialized care to Oregonians in areas where access to healthcare services are limited.
APPs also play a crucial role in frontline hospital systems providing comprehensive services including trauma, ECMO and complex medical care … I encourage all Oregonians to join us in recognizing and honoring APP’s vital contributions to the health and wellbeing of our great state.”
Oregon is a national leader in APP care. From becoming one of the first states to empower nurse practitioners to practice independently more than 40 years ago to passing the nation’s first nurse practitioner payment parity law and organizing APPs into unions to better advocate for their patients, colleagues and communities; Oregon’s APPs have been at the vanguard of work to enhance patient safety; expand healthcare access and services; and improve working conditions.
Over the past two years, hundreds of APPs at OHSU, Legacy Emanuel and Good Samaritan, Legacy’s Women’s Health Clinics and other worksites have voted to unionize with ONA or the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association (PNWHMA)—a physician and advanced practice provider union staffed by ONA.
This growing “white-coat labor movement” is rapidly giving healthcare workers and patients a stronger collective voice to push back against corporate-style healthcare systems and to raise healthcare standards throughout Oregon.
“Oregon’s advanced practice providers are incredible advocates who bridge the gaps in our healthcare system and rise to meet the challenges facing their communities. From serving on the frontlines of Oregon’s COVID-19 response to leading some of the only healthcare clinics in Oregon’s backcountry, their dedication to their patients and willingness to do what it takes to get the job done has made them indispensable,” said ONA President Tamie Cline, RN. “I am proud to stand with them and honor their unwavering commitment to providing excellent healthcare for every Oregonian.”