When AARP created the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) in 2007, its mission was to see that Americans have the nurses they need, now and in the future. Housed in AARP’s Public Policy Institute, the center seeks to answer the need for Americans to have access—in all settings—to highly skilled nurses.

Here’s why:

• The U.S. outspends every country on health care, yet our residents have shorter lives and poorer health. Nursing is a clear way for America to address its health care woes.
• At 4 million strong, nurses are the largest part of the health care workforce, and for 17 years in a row Americans have told Gallup that they trust nurses more than any other profession.
• Nurses, who are woven into the fabric of the community in ways other health practitioners are not—in schools, workplaces, homes, prisons, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and other community spaces—are positioned to be a more powerful part of improving health and health equity. CCNA is dedicated to making that happen.
• AARP believes that consumers deserve full access to the care nurses provide. As critical as nurses are to our country’s health, we know that we will not be able to effectively care for our aging population unless we can tap into the full potential of this powerful workforce.
• AARP is committed to advancing health for our members by making better use of the skills of all health professionals. This includes ensuring that all Americans have access to a highly skilled nurse—when and where they need one. Everything we know about the future of health care delivery tells us we need to build—and empower—a health care workforce that meets the real needs of people and their family caregivers.