ANA-Illinois has been carefully watching the daily/hourly COVID-19 updates from the CDC, Gov. Pritzker’s Office, and other agencies, particularly as it pertains to large gatherings and events in the state. Student Nurse Political Action Day (SNPAD) brings in 1200+ students from across the state of Illinois, and we were planning on 200+ nurses for Nurse Lobby Day.

After much consideration and the wavering levels of uncertainty around COVID-19 spreading in Illinois, as well as the many health risks involved in holding large events, we have decided to cancel our 2020 event on March 31st.  This decision was not taken lightly, but we know as nurses, we cannot move forward and place lives at risk for contracting COVID-19.

We have been contemplating alternative ways to disseminate the important information provided during this event. Additional details will follow, but our initial plans include the dissemination of videos to our school partners who were planning on sending students to SNPAD. The videos would allow faculty to determine their best use in educating students on the importance of political action and professional engagement.

Again, it was not an easy decision to cancel our most effective advocacy event of the year, but the health and safety of over 1000 student nurses, our legislators, the hundreds of workers in the state capital, and the communities we serve are paramount.

In the next several weeks, we will be issuing a refund to all registrants and exhibitors for SNPAD.