Shirley Orr

Association of Public Health Nurses

The Association of Public Health Nurses (APHN) is the professional organization for all practicing public health nurses (PHNs). APHN members serve in the governmental public health system at the local, state, federal, territorial, or tribal levels, and in community-based organizations, clinics/health systems, and academic institutions. APHN is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, evidenced by our work to become fully representative of the broad spectrum of public health nurses serving at all levels, including both the current and future public health nursing workforce. APHN's growth and collaboration with national partners makes it the leading resource for supporting public health nurses in the dynamic, rapidly changing public health system through ongoing public health nursing education, mentoring, leadership development, and professional networking. APHN's members are actively engaged in local, state, and national collaborative partnerships that promote and improve the public's health through excellence in public health nursing practice. Today, PHNs remain the largest professional discipline within the governmental public health workforce, and improving their capacity to assure the foundational public health capabilities within health departments is a key strategy to improving population health and a key priority within APHN.