Nursing Advocacy Initiative

Nurse-led, data-driven, non-partisan.

Professional advocacy that inspires hope and transforms healthcare for Virginia and beyond.

 

Advocacy is built into the nursing profession – nurses advocate for their patients every time they work – and there is a long history of nurses as public health advocates going back to Florence Nightingale herself. But advocacy beyond of the nursing field can feel less natural. Our program was designed to empower UVA’s professional nurses, the best in their field, to step confidently into the world of legislation and policy to help impact meaningful, positive change in health care.

 

UVA NAI nurse ambassadors for Advocacy Day at the Virginia General Assembly. January 2026.

 

Legislators are generalists who rely on specialists (often in the form of citizen advocates) to fill in the gaps as they draft or modify legislation. UVA’s NAI nurse ambassadors play an important role by helping illuminate how specific policies would impact patients or the nursing profession. Advocacy is one way to engage in the legislative process, and nurse ambassadors are partners in this process.

 

UVA NAI nurse ambassadors with State Senator Creigh Deeds, Delegate Katrina Callsen, and Delegate Amy Laufer after a Legislative Roundtable. December 2025.

 

Any current UVA professional nurse is welcome to participate in professional advocacy through the NAI, though it is not a requirement of any nursing job. Nurses may choose to share a nurse narrative (insert link to Nurse Narrative Database page), or take a more active role by becoming a nurse ambassador (link to Qualtrics survey). After participating in an in-person training session, nurse ambassadors are welcome to attend advocacy opportunities throughout the year, including NAI’s Advocacy Day each January. The expertise, experience, and generosity of time our nurse ambassadors share is immeasurable and deeply appreciated.

 

Sign up to attend an NAI Training Session! Or share your story with us.

 

Contact Leanne Fox at Leanne.Fox@uvahealth.org with questions. 

 

The NAI collaborates closely with Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Baker and UVA Health External Affairs Office. We are grateful for their support.

Edited by: Pamela Morris (pm2t) Updated: December 10, 2025