American Nurses Association Releases 13 Updated Policies on Prevention and Care For HIV and Related Conditions

CONTACT:
Shannon McClendon, 301-628-5391
shannon.mcclendon@ana.org

Keziah Proctor, 301-628-5197
keziah.proctor@ana.org

SILVER SPRING, MD –Today, the American Nurses Association (ANA) releases 13 updated policy statements on the prevention and care for HIV and related conditions. The updated statements will serve as a guide to nurses’ engagement in HIV and AIDS advocacy, inform nurses and the public about the role of nursing practice in care and prevention, and join nurses’ voice with patients and partners across the country working to end the epidemic.

“Nurses have been on the frontlines since the beginning of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. We courageously pioneered care approaches when treatment options were few, and we delivered dignified care to patients before the medical community understood how to respond to risks,” said ANA President Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Our nation cannot solve this epidemic without nurses. These policy statements demonstrate nurses’ pivotal role in both prevention and treatment and support national strategies and goals around HIV and AIDS care.”

The 13 individual policy statements express ANA’s positions on the following:

• Full practice authority for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to provide care to high-risk groups and lead care teams in high-prevalence geographic areas.
• Voluntary counseling and testing to provide meaningful patient counseling and prevention education.
• Long-term anti-retroviral treatments (ART) to prevent transmission and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA).
• Access to care among cis and transgender women of color as well as Black and Latino populations to eliminate disparate health outcomes.
• Patient-and-family-centered care to treat patients’ psychosocial concerns and help manage symptoms.
• Review of laws and legal consequences to eradicate HIV-related stigma and discrimination that interfere with appropriate care delivery.

These updated policy statements build upon a series of positions that ANA courageously adopted around 1992 to address nurses’ health and safety and call for increased access to care for all PLWHA. ANA’s work to address the HIV and AIDS epidemic is grounded in and aligns with the sustained and thoughtful policy leadership of our partners at the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC). ANA is indebted to the work of ANAC in setting priorities and developing policy for nurses in HIV and AIDS care.

More than one million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, and around 15 % of these people are unaware of their status. While progress has been made to address the epidemic, high rates of people who do not have care and prevention continue to present challenges for public health. ANA stands ready to continue to support nurses engaged in emerging HIV and AIDS care and prevention strategies. Learn about ANA’s position and read the updated policy statements here.