whistleblower policy

-jt · Jul 22, 2001

yes. statewide & at the national level. Why wait for an employer to agree to make it a hospital policy? Make it the law of the land instead. In fact,.........

"Your call is needed NOW to get national Whistle-Blower Protection passed into Federal Law!

The McCain-Kennedy-Edwards patients' bill of rights, including patient advocacy/whistleblower protections for nurses, passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 59-36 on Friday, June 29. The House of Representatives will consider patients' rights legislation in the coming weeks.

**Now is the time to contact your Congressional U.S. Representative to urge support for the bipartisan Ganske-Norwood-Dingell companion bill, H.R. 526, with no weakening amendments.......**

Calls to your Congressman's Washington or local office are needed; you can also ask for information on any town-hall meetings that may be scheduled. Your Representative may be reached through the DC Capitol switchboard......

It is especially important to contact Republicans who supported Norwood-Dingell in 1999. They are under great pressure from the Bush Administration to support a weaker alternative bill. You should also contact your Representatives who are new to Congress this year. Their support of this bipartisan initiative this year could make strong patients' rights a reality..........

Sample Statement for your call:

"As a member of the Nursing Profession, I urge you to support enactment of strong comprehensive, and enforceable patient protections embodied by the bipartisan Ganske-Dingell-Norwood legislation, H.R. 526. Please support this bill without weakening amendments. The final bill must include the whistleblower/patient advocacy provision that protects nurses and other health care professionals from retaliation when they advocate for their patients. Patient advocacy is the cornerstone of my profession, and this provision is carefully crafted to allow me to exercise my ethical responsibility to my patients in institutional settings."

To Find your Congressman: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html

Please pass this on..."

NYSNA

-jt · Jul 22, 2001

I dont know if we have whistleblower protections in individual healthcare facility policies anywhere here (strongly doubt it!). But you can take a look at what we have written & put before our state legislators for passage into NY state law. Our Whistleblower bill was already passed for law by our legislators last Dec, but the Gov let the year expire without signing it - for reasons which he has never publicly explained. Its been brought forth again & has already passed one House & is now in the Senate, expected to pass again.......

"Protecting nurse 'whistleblowers': After nurses were harassed by their employers for testifying at legislative hearings, the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) wrote and lobbied for passage of the Healthcare Whistleblower Protection Act......

This law will prohibit employers from retaliating against healthcare workers who report unsafe patient care practices to government agencies. Reports of retaliation would be investigated by the state, which can impose fines on employers for violating the law........

Nurses will be protected, not only when they report illegal activities, but also if they are required by their employer to violate the Nursing Code of Ethics as it relates to safe patient care......."

for details, see: http://www.nysna.org/NEWS/PRESS/PR2001/PR060601a.htm

and:

"AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to prohibiting retaliatory personnel actions by certain employers against health care employees who provide certain information to a governmental agency or department......"

http://www.nysna.org/PROGRAMS/LEG/mos/0102/A3259.HTM

Our state nurses associations, working in conjunction with each other & the ANA, have written & lobbied for this law in their respective states. So far we have it in the works nationally in DC & statewide in HI, IL, MO, NY, OR, RI. Its already been passed into law in WV. I doubt an employer here would voluntarily allow this as a hospital policy. Making it a law takes it out of his hands.