American Association of Nurse Practitioners Congratulates Dr. Vivek Murthy as U.S. Surgeon General

AUSTIN, TEXAS — The American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) congratulates Dr. Vivek Murthy as newly confirmed U.S. Surgeon General and pledges the profession’s continued support to strengthen primary care access to communities nationwide, combat COVID-19 and address the epidemic of chronic disease that impacts six in 10 Americans.

“AANP congratulates Surgeon General Murthy on his confirmation,” said Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, president of AANP. “The nation’s nurse practitioners (NPs) share the Surgeon General’s commitment to improving the health of all Americans and to educating and empowering patients with the tools and strategies necessary to adopt healthier lifestyles and prevent the onset of chronic diseases. COVID-19 has laid bare the importance of addressing the challenges of obesity and chronic disease, as well as the need to ensure all patients receive high-quality health care, by the provider of their choice, to diagnose and manage their chronic conditions.”

NPs are continuing to diagnose, treat and manage care for thousands of patients impacted by COVID-19, as well as vaccinate patients against the disease. AANP encourages patients to take the vaccine as soon as it is offered to them and to return to primary care as a critical strategy in maintaining their health.

“We believe that all patients deserve access to comprehensive, high-quality health care, and we look forward to working with the Biden administration to increase the health care provider workforce needed to achieve this goal,” said Jon Fanning, chief executive officer of AANP. “NPs represent 290,000 solutions to health care for America, and we stand ready to partner with the Surgeon General to bolster health care access in every community."

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The American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 290,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs' patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner^®, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org. For COVID-19 information from AANP, visit aanp.org/COVID19.