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Nurses Activism

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

August 2001

http://www.nursingworld.org/about/lately/ceoaug01.htm

This report summarizes the highlights of ANA activities during August 2001. The report focuses on the following Core ANA Issues and functions:

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Nurse Staffing - ANA is leading the way in research, policy and practice, and workplace strategies to ensure that the number and mix of staff are appropriate, protecting both patients and nurses.

Facilitated interviews for President Foley, on the nursing shortage with WHYY Radio (aired 8/6/01 in PA, NJ, and DE), Better Homes and Gardens (ran in 8/01 issue) and on mandatory overtime in Good Housekeeping (slated to run this fall).

Partnered with Texas Nurses Association (TNA) to actively promote ANA's Nationwide State Legislative Agenda on Nurse Staffing/Shortage at the Annual Meeting of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL), August 11-15, 2001 in San Antonio, Texas. Many legislators and staff attended the activities sponsored by ANA/TNA.

Attended a Women's Information and Resource Clearing House Committee (WIRCC) meeting to discuss 2002 federal candidates on August 21, 2001 in Washington, DC. This resource helps to ascertain whether they have a chance to win and provides information on whether ANA should recommend endorsing candidates or remain neutral.

Attended a meeting with the political staff of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and a similar meeting at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on August 21, 2001 in Washington, DC to discuss 2002 federal candidates viability and position on nursing issues.

Provided background information on nurse staffing ratios for Hospital & Health Network Magazine, Nurseweek Magazine, Health News Daily; on Unlicensed Assistive Personnel for RN Magazine; and on the nursing shortage for Gannett, Chicago Sun-Times, Time Magazine, Real World Covers, Virginia Pilot, and Modern Healthcare.

Attended The Forum on Health Care Leadership on August 19, 2001 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Testified at a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on the nursing shortage on August 1, 2001. Briefed Diana Baker of the Ohio Nurses Association with written/oral testimonies and questions/answers. These hearings (the fourth nurse shortage hearing at which ANA has testified this year) provide a good opportunity to support nurse education funding, draw attention to workplace issues, and to reaffirm ANA's position as the premier organization representing nurses before Congress.

Continued meetings with external nursing unions and Congressional staff to shape the mandatory overtime bill. This legislation is expected to be introduced late September. Once the bill is finalized and introduced, ANA will work with these Members of Congress and our colleagues in other nursing unions to secure support and request hearings. Our ongoing participation in the mandatory overtime effort ensures that the bill effectively addresses the concerns of staff nurses while remaining politically viable.

Worked with staff from two Senate offices that are drafting legislation to encourage hospitals to implement magnet criteria. Both bills are expected to be introduced in September. One would authorize $30 million per year for competitive grants that facilities would use to enhance nurse retention, as well as $20 million for individual nurse scholarships for continuing education. The other would authorize $25 million to implement best practices for nurse management.

Furnished information and met with Congressional staff to discuss and gain Congressional support on staffing, shortage, mandatory overtime, and related issues.

Met with senior officials of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service to discuss appropriate nurse staffing and shortage issues and strategies to address these issues.

Provided information on issues and legislative strategies to several CMAs for meetings with their U.S. Senators.

Continued discussions with House offices on a bill that would mandate the inclusion of advanced practice nurses and clinical nurse specialists on Medicaid managed care panels and allow Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) to directly bill Medicaid fee for service. Reviewed draft legislation, authored material for members to use when discussing the bill.

Attended the annual meeting of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) held August 6-11, 2001 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At this meeting, NCSBN passed a resolution stating that "NCSBN recognizes the professional responsibility of nurses to accept or decline overtime assignments based on their self-assessment of ability to provide safe care." This resolution will assist nurses in their workplaces who may be threatened with "patient abandonment" by their employers when faced with requests to work mandatory overtime.

Discussed with the chief nursing officers of the corporate nursing home chains ANA's perspective on staffing issues related to the long term care workforce and strategies for meeting the nursing shortage.

Responded to reporter inquiry from TIME Magazine and coordinated contact with UAN Chair Cheryl Johnson and Executive Council Member, Linda Warino. regarding nursing shortages in the Midwest. The article was originally scheduled to run August 13, 2001, however, the run date has been delayed.

Workplace Rights - ANA protects, defends and educates nurses about their rights as employees.

Participated in steering committee meetings to plan and execute strategies for patients' rights coalition - before House action on the legislation and, later, in preparation for House-Senate conference negotiations in the fall.

Disseminated approximately 10,000 action alerts to grassroots network in preparation for House votes relating to the Patient Bill of Rights.

Lobbied members of the House up until the votes on August 2, 2001 on whistleblower language for the Patient Bill of Rights.

Met with American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) regarding meeting arrangements and appointments with international union presidents.

Responded to reporter inquiries from the Medical Herald and Labor Educator for story on UAN affiliation with AFL-CIO.

Tracked Hawaii Nurses Association case on the challenge to the Kentucky River decision.

Followed-up on cases related to staffing and mandatory overtime where precedents have been set that may impact collective bargaining efforts.

Provided support for Veterans Affairs (VA) units across the country.

Tracked issues related to Smith v. Martinez (New Mexico whistleblower case), including the settlement of portion of the case and new action initiated by Martinez to reinstate privileges, which may affect the Board of Osteopathic Medicine disciplinary action - working to get the Board of Osteopathy to investigate deficiencies in practice.

Reviewed the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision regarding interpretation of requirement to give 10 day notice of work stoppage when nurses decline voluntary overtime.

Workplace Health and Safety - ANA fights for a safer workplace by addressing the growing number of hazards that threaten nurses, such as needle stick injuries, latex allergy, back injuries and violence.

President Foley testified on August 22, 2001 before a hearing on health privacy regulations conducted by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality.

Participated on conference call with the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) on August 8, 2001 to discuss possible collaboration around the quality indicator work relating to work injuries, patient incidents and interfacing with health and safety issues.

Worked with AFL-CIO's Health and Safety department to get UAN nurses on agenda as plenary speakers on mandatory overtime at the fall AFL-CIO Health and Safety conference.

Joined the steering committee of the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) which is a private/public partnership sponsored by the American Hospital Association (AHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed to enable hospitals to take a leadership role in advancing public health and the environment. The goal of the program is to eliminate mercury and other toxic chemicals from the health care waste stream by 2005 and reduce overall hospital waste by 50 percent by 2010. ANA will be working with AHA and EPA to educate nurses about their role in this effort. CEO Stierle was featured along with representatives from AHA and EPA in a new video tape which will go to AHA members, on hospital and nurses involvement in environmental protections.

Partnered in signing a letter with other health care groups, as part of the 1997 ANA House of Delegates initiative in reducing health care production of toxic pollution, which will be sent to Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the EPA urging those agencies to support banning the sale of mercury thermometers, collecting unwanted thermometers and permanently storing collected quantities of mercury.

Completed the ANA/NursingWorld.org online workplace health and safety survey. Approximately 4,800 plus nurses from around the nation responded. The results of the survey will be used in various workplace advocacy, collective bargaining, and legislative health and safety efforts.

Facilitated radio interview for President Foley, for The Kathleen Dunn Show on workplace violence (aired 8/16/01).

Continuing Competence - Today's informed consumers are demanding that the competence of licensed professionals be validated throughout their career. ANA must lead the debate and guide the development and implementation of continued competency standards for the profession.

Co-Provided with the Institute of Research, Education and Consultation's (IREC) "Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Review Course and Resource Manual (PNP) Independent Study Module". The deadline to register for this module is December 31, 2004.

Co-Provided with IREC " Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Review Course and Resource Manual (GNP) Independent Study Module". The deadline to register for this module is December 31, 2004.

Met with health appropriations staff person for Sen. Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee to discuss and request support on ANA's position on nursing appropriations.

Launched a new online continuing education module from the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing (OJIN) and finalized for posting on NursingWorld.org: The Nursing Shortage: Solutions for the Short and Long Term by two registered nurses, Brenda Nevidjon and Jeanette Ives Erickson. The deadline to register for this module is December 31, 2001.

CORE FUNCTIONS:

Ethics and Human Rights

Placed on the NursingWorld.org/ce website and as an insert in the July/August issue of The American Nurse (TAN), under "ANA/ANF/University of Maryland Children's Environmental Health Series - "Safe Workplaces and Healthy Learning Places: Environmentally Healthy Schools." The deadline to register for this session is December 31, 2001.

Attended meeting convened by the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC on August 7, 2001 to stay abreast with recent developments and explore the scientific and policy aspects of human cloning. The data presented provided critical information to update ANA's position statement on cloning in humans which identifies the ethical and human rights implications of these new developments in cloning and their intersection with genetic and reproductive technologies

Nursing Standards and Guidelines

Approved by the CNPE, the scope of nursing informatics practice statement and acknowledgment of nursing informatics standards of practice.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

This report summarizes the highlights of ANA activities during October 2001.

http://www.nursingworld.org/about/lately/ceooct01.htm

Nursing Shortage - ANA actively addresses the complex factors that affect the supply and demand for nurses. ANA is initiating strategies to retain and recruit nurses by improving work environments, increasing educational opportunities, increasing compensation and advocating for laws that strengthen the profession.

President Foley presented keynote address entitled, "Nurses Make it Happen" at the Wyoming Nurses Association Annual Convention on October 6, 2001 in Casper, Wyoming.

>Informed the nursing community on nurse shortage issues through media exchange and periodicals:

*Facilitated interview for President Mary Foley on the nursing shortage on "Making a Difference" on WDCA-TV (set to air Nov. 4).

*Facilitated interviews for First Vice President Underwood in the Philadelphia Magazine (no print date given) and Self Magazine (to be published in the November issue).

*Featured article on federal funding for nurses to repay their loans while working in underserved areas in the "Washington Watch" column in the October 2001 issue of AJN..

*Provided background information for stories to appear in Nurseweek (no print date given); Kansas City Star (no print date given); Nursing Spectrum (article slated for November); U.S. News and World Report (article ran Oct. 29); ABCNews.com and the Associated Press (no print dates given).

>Keynoted on the national nursing shortage at the Kentucky Nurses Association Annual Convention on October 18, 2001 in Louisville, Kentucky.

>Identified nurse educator and two nursing students from New York City who provided emergency treatment to the victims of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.

*Arranged for these members to participate in a press conference with Representative Lois Capps (D-CA), Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and James Jeffords (I-VT) to support legislation that would increase federal funding for nurse education.

>Contacted every Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in support of Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) efforts to include the provisions of the Nurse Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1436) as an amendment to legislation reauthorizing the National Health Service Corps.

*Organized a group sign-on letter to the Commerce Committee and received the support of 13 national nursing organizations.

Authored, circulated and managed the delivery of a second group sign-on letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee supporting the nurse education initiatives which received the support of 25 national nurse organizations.

>Authored and facilitated the circulation of a full grassroots alert on nurse education legislation.

*This alert reached more than 40,000 nurses across the nation who have expressed their desire to become involved in federal advocacy efforts.

*This grassroots effort educates RNs about ANA's federal government affairs activities and demonstrates the breadth of our influence to policy makers.

>Advertised in the October 18, 2001 issue of Roll Call urging support for the Nurse Reinvestment Act. This newspaper is widely circulated to Members of Congress and their staff, the media and demonstrates ANA's commitment to nurse education initiatives.

>Endorsed two Senate bills that encourage health care facilities to implement magnet criteria. Both of these bills would increase the visibility of the ANCC Magnet Program and encourage the implementation of proven best practices for nurse management.

Appropriate Staffing - ANA leads the way in research, policy and practice, and workplace strategies to ensure that the number and mix of staff are appropriate - protecting both patients and nurses.

>Provided services and informed the nursing community on nurse staffing issues through the following mediums:

*Facilitated download of 4,800 copies of the Staffing Survey results for registered nurses for the month of October.

*Distributed news release entitled, "ANA Hails Federal Grant to Study Nursing, Work Hours, Fatigue and Patient Outcomes," to trade and consumer media on October 16, 2001.

>Presented ANA's perspective on utilization of the forces of magnetism as a strategy to reduce the long term care staffing crisis to an interdisciplinary audience during the American Public Health Association's annual meeting on October 20, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Workplace Rights - ANA protects, defends and educates nurses about their rights as employees under the law.

>Informed the nursing community on nurse staffing issues through the following periodicals:

*Featured story on unionization of nurses for Forbes Magazine (ran Oct. 29).

*Featured story on nurse salaries for Advance for Nurses (no print date given).

*Featured story on salary differentials for American Medical News (no print date given).

>Lectured on "Legal Basis of Nursing" to Johns Hopkins School of Nursing baccalaureate students on October 29, 2001 in Baltimore, Maryland.

>Met with Barbara Lumpkin, Assistant Executive Director of Florida Nurses Association and Ruben King-Shaw, Jr., Deputy Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on October 15, 2001 in Washington, D.C. to discuss:

*Advanced Practice Registered Nurse reimbursement issues.

*Concerns raised by the Office of Inspector General report.

*Potential for follow-up and continued dialogue aimed towards resolution.

Workplace Health and Safety - ANA fights for a safer workplace by addressing the growing number of hazards that threaten nurses, such as chronic stress, needle stick injuries, latex allergy, back injuries and violence.

>President Foley participated in the following meetings on issues relating to workplace health and safety:

*Keynoted at the Indiana State Nurses Association Biennial Convention on "Workplace Effectiveness" on October 4, 2001 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

*Participated in panel discussion entitled "Crime and Punishment: Indicting Nurses in Faulty Systems at the 95th Annual Convention of the Connecticut Nurses Association on October 5, 2001 in Waterbury, Connecticut.

*Hosted several workshops and attended meetings focusing on workplace health and safety:

*Attended the American Public Health Association (APHA) meeting with several researchers, public health practitioners and health care worker union representatives held October 21-24, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia.

*Participated in a subcommittee of occupational health and safety nurses to sign onto a letter to be sent to the Chlorine Chemistry Council Nurses Leadership Council (NLC) regarding nurses concerns on the NLC's Breast Cancer report

*Presented the key findings from the ANA's On-Line Health & Safety Survey during the discussion on "Organization of Work in Healthcare: Impact on Worker Health."

*Presented the key findings from the ANA's On-Line Health & Safety Survey to the Connecticut Hospital Association meeting on "Creating a Safe Work Environment: A Key Step in Becoming an Employer of Choice" on October 17, 2001 in Wallingford, Connecticut.

*Co-sponsored with the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), Palmetto Health Trust, and Training for the Development of Innovative Control Technology (TDICT) workshops on the ANA Needlestick Workshop: "Preventing Needlestick Injuries: The Time is Now: Safe Needles, Save Lives." and "Preventing Needlestick Injuries Through Safer Needle Device Evaluation and Selection" on October 25-26, 2001 in Columbia, South Carolina.

*Co-sponsored with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), to address bloodborne pathogens, violence and ergonomics at the AFL-CIO National Health & Safety Biennial Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania October 28-31, 2001.

*Ohio Nurses Association President Elect and UAN Executive Council member Warrino presented a plenary discussion on union solidarity and mandatory overtime.

*Facilitated a workshop on pollution prevention strategies with Colleen Keegan from Health Care Without Harm on October 16, 2001 in Albany, New York.

*Attended the annual HCWH Strategic Planning meeting held October 18-21, 2001 in Providence, Rhode Island. An outcome of the meeting focused on:

the restructuring of the campaign to become 501©3 eligible

and the creation of a new nurses work group.

>Provided poster presentations to CMAs and the nursing community:

"Neonatal Exposure to Diethyl Hexyl Phthalate (DEHP)" and Opportunities for Prevention" at the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) meeting on October 4, 2001 by Ann Melamed , ANA\California member and President Christine Retta, Northern California Association of NANN.

>Presented the "Neonatal Exposure to DEHP at the AAN annual meeting held October 26-27, 2001 in Washington, D.C.

>Supported an amendment to Medicare reform legislation offered by Representative Phil English (R-PA) that would extend needlestick safety regulations to health care workers in public hospitals. If enacted, this proposal would provide needlestick protections to thousands of healthcare workers in facilities that are exempt from current OSHA blood borne pathogen regulations.

Patient Safety/Advocacy - ANA advances its ultimate goal, quality patient care, by effecting positive change around issues that are critical to nursing and its future. Today's environment demands action to ensure that patient safety and quality are priorities.

>President Foley participated in the following meetings on issues relating to patient safety:

>Presented on "Nurses: Leading the Way for Patient Safety" at the 95th Annual Convention of the Connecticut Nurses Association on October 5, 2001 in Waterbury, Connecticut.

>Presented "Improving Safety in Health Care while Protecting Our Nurses" to the Florida Nurses Association District Five meeting on October 9, 2001 in Miami Beach, Florida.

>Attended the 2001 American Academy of Nursing Conference on " The Mandate for Health Care Safety: Solutions to Protect Patients and the Public" held October 25-28, 2001 in Washington, D.C. The highlights of the meeting focused on:

*Exploring the new emerging knowledge in the area of patient safety; and identify strategies.

*Supporting the development of a comprehensive approach to improving public and patient safety.

>Posted news updates regarding ANA's response to bioterrorism threats on NursingWorld.org

>Presented ANA's perspective on utilization of nursing-sensitive quality indicators at the APHA meeting held October 21-24, 2001 in Atlanta, Georgia.

>Attended a meeting convened by The California Medical Association and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health to discuss key issues regarding Limited English Proficiency (LEP) services and the Department of Health and Human Services "Policy Guidance on the Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination As It Affects Persons With LEP" on October 11, 2001 in Washington, DC.

>Determined key elements for the successful provision of services to LEP persons.

>Developed a collaborative implementation plan.

Ethics and Human Rights

>Attended a meeting convened by the National Council of State Legislators on October 5, 2001, in Washington D.C. entitled "Genetic Policy and Law." Highlights of the meeting were discussion of:

*Linkage between the ethical issues that emanate from mapping and sequencing the human genome.

*The need for state legislators to draft and enact appropriate legislative protections on mapping and sequencing the human genome.

>Participated in the Eforce steering committee meeting convened by the Institute of Ethics of the American Medical Association (AMA) on October 12, 2001 in Washington, D.C. ANA is the only nursing organization on this oversight body. The work of this group included:

*Development of a report on the ethical design of health benefits packages and benefits coverage decisions.

>Offered an educational session to students from the Catholic University of America School of Nursing in Washington, D.C. on the importance and relevance of the newly revised Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements on October 15, 2001at the ANA headquarters in Washington, D.C.

>Attended the annual meeting of the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities on October 25-27, 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee. At this nursing special interest group, information was provided on:

*The availability of the recently revised Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements.

*Panel discussion entitled "Eight is More than Enough" concerning high order multiple births as an unintended consequence of infertility treatment.

>Participated on a review committee conference call on October 29, 2001 convened by the March of Dimes to develop a new on-line genetics education initiative that will meet the needs of nurses and other health care providers.

Nursing Standards and Guidelines

>Participated on conference call with the Vascular Nurses Society workgroup to develop a scope and standards of Vascular Nursing Practice document on October 16, 2001.

>Met with student nurses visiting from the Catholic University of America School of Nursing to discuss ANA standards of Clinical Nursing Practice on October 15, 2001 in Washington, D.C.

>Released the new Scopes and Standards of Nursing Informatics Practice for use by nurses and educators in the informatics arena on October 11, 2001.

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Thank you, Karen :) Excellent information.

Linda

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