Hey NRSKAREN

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Dec 21, 2001

peeps:

heres the thread site:https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=74458#post74458

repeat post:

from peeps:

thanks, but i was really searching for something, anything, that actually happend at the legislative level that the ana facillitated.

think needlestick legislation important enough?

karen

mna president uses personal story to push for needlestick legislation

by susan trossman, rn

as a long-standing advocate for nurses nationally and in her state, massachusetts nurses association president karen daley, mph, rn, is skilled at humanizing health care issues when speaking to the media, lawmakers and other registered nurses.

but on april 6, daley walked into the massachusetts state house to present testimony like no other. she wanted legislators, who were gathered to consider the merits of a proposed needlestick bill, to see firsthand that behind every injury, there is a real person.

so she gave them a close-up look into her own life now that she is hiv and hepatitis c positive -- the result of being stuck by a contaminated needle while performing her job as an emergency room nurse. she spoke of her passion for nursing and of her sorrow over no longer providing direct patient care, which she has done for more than 25 years. she also described her symptoms and the paucity of information on hepatitis c and treatment regimens for people who are co-infected.

"i can't describe for you how that one moment -- the moment when i reached my gloved hand over a needlebox to dispose of the needle i had used to draw blood -- has drastically changed my life," daley said. "since january of this year, i have had to come to terms with the fact that i am infected with not one, but two life-threatening diseases."

in concluding her testimony, she explained that her injury could have been prevented and urged members of the joint health care committee to support the proposed measure, which would force health care facilities to use sharps specifically engineered to prevent injuries and to demonstrate a significant reduction in needlestick injuries.

to date, massachusetts is one of 19 states in which needlestick legislation is being considered. california, maryland and tennessee already have measures signed into law.

at a may 20 washington, dc, press conference at which daley spoke, reps. pete stark (d-ca) and marge roukema (r-nj) announced their introduction of federal legislation called "the health care worker needlestick and sharps injury prevention act." stark and representatives from ana, labor unions and manufacturers crafted the language of this comprehensive, new needlestick bill, which would require employers to adhere to a new, more stringent osha bloodborne pathogen standard that mandates the use of safer needle systems, such as syringes with retractable needles. at press time, sen. harry reid (d-nv) was expected to introduce a companion bill in the senate.

full story at:

http://www.nursingworld.org/needlestick/nmnapres.htm

legislation (h.r. 5178) became public law on 11/6/2000.

full needlestick info and testimony at:

http://www.nursingworld.org/needlestick/nshome.htm

other legislation endeavors:

feb 2001: what has ana done lately?

http://www.nursingworld.org/about/lately/ceofeb01.htm

april 2001:

met with the offices of rep. maurice hinchey (d-ny) and sen. harry reid (d-nv) and secured their commitment to introduce legislation requiring health care providers to publically disclose and report the number and mix of nursing staff providing patient care on a shift-by-shift basis as a condition of participation in the medicare program. the legislation would also require information on the staffing plan used by the facility and the incidence of nursing-sensitive patient outcomes to be reported and posted. the legislation was introduced during national nurses' week.

http://www.nursingworld.org/about/lately/ceoapr01.htm

may 2001:

worked with colleagues in nursing unions to secure commitments from senators john kerry (d-ma, senate finance committee member) and ted kennedy (d-ma, chairman senate health, education, labor and pensions committee) and representative pete stark (d-ca, chairman house ways and means subcommittee on health) to draft and introduce legislation banning the use of mandatory overtime through medicare. staff negotiated with the nursing unions and the members of congress to ensure that the legislation will provide licensed nurses with the ability to determine, without fear of reprisal, whether or not to accept a request for overtime.

continued to update legislation that is part of the nationwide state staffing legislative agenda addressing such issues as nurse staffing, needlestick legislation, interstate nurse compacts, nurse practice acts, advanced practice nurses, state licensing reform initiatives, emt scope of practice, first assistants in surgery, physician collective bargaining and other workplace issues:

prohibition of mandatory overtime

introduced in ca, ct, hi, il, me, md, mn, nj, ny, oh, or, pa, ri, wa, wv

whistleblower protection

introduced in hi, il, mo, ny, or, ri passed in wv

collection and public reporting of nursing quality indicators

introduced in ma, ny, or

mandatory development and implementation of valid and reliable nurse staffing systems

introduced in il, me, ny, oh, or, pa

collection of nursing workforce data

introduced in ga, hi, nm, tn, tx - passed in ms, nd

nursing workforce studies

introduced in ct, ky, me passed in ar, pa, va, wv

funding for nursing education

introduced in ca, il, me, mn, nv, nj, ny, pa, tx passed in ne, va

http://www.nursingworld.org/about/lately/ceomay01.htm

enough said.

:)