Even before COVID-19 hit our state, a shortage of medical professionals plagued North Carolina, meaning that finding medical care could be tough, particularly for those living in rural areas. It still is. To address that need, the John Locke Foundation has long advocated for ‘scope-of-practice’ reforms to empower medical professionals with the freedom to practice at the top of their skills and, in the process, grow the pool of providers for those in need. Now a bipartisan group of state legislators has joined forces to do just that by maximizing the expertise of advanced practice nurses. The SAVE Act, introduced in the General Assembly earlier this month, would give more authority and autonomy to highly skilled nurses across a variety of disciplines: nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists. In this conversation, our experts will talk about medical professional shortages, the benefits to the provider and the patient by removing burdensome rules and regulations, and how the pandemic has revealed this pressing need and created a coalition for moving forward.

*This is an online event. Please RSVP to receive an email with the links to view the event on the day it goes live*