Legislative Day-2009

Submitted by: Margaret Luce, MSN, RN, VSNA Lobbyist

Nurses’ Day at the State House on April 1 was very successful. Seventy two nurses from around the state came to learn how to effectively advocate in the political arena. Vermont Organization of Nurse Leaders (VONL), and the Vermont Diabetic Educators Association were VSNA’s partners for Nurses’ Day. Representative Johanna Donovan, Burlington, introduced the nurses to the full House and the nurses received a standing ovation!

The nurses had plenty of opportunities to learn and share their own perspectives on health care:
The Diabetic Educators offered free blood glucose screening and more than 40 legislators were tested.

Pat Jones , Director of Health Care Quality Improvement , BISHCA, discussed Act 53 and Vermont’s Community Report Cards for hospitals.

The House Committee on General, Housing, and Military Affairs had a hearing on H. 268, an act relating to prohibiting mandatory overtime for health care employees.

Health Care For All supporters had a rally for a universal access/single payer system. An interfaith group organized a press conference to protest budget cuts in programs that serve the poor and most vulnerable Vermonters.

A representative from AARP addressed the House Health Committee on federal health care reforms.

Legislators continue to work on the FY ’10 budget and balance budget cuts with increased fees/taxes to generate revenue. It is hard to tell at this time how much money will be included in the budget for nursing education, undergraduate RN and LPN, graduate APRN primary care, and graduate nursing faculty. The Office of Nursing Workforce is working to create a Blue Ribbon Commission on Nursing II to develop a plan for nursing education to not only address the nursing shortage, but also to make recommendations for educational preparation to meet future health needs for Vermonters. For example, Vermont has a high number of elderly but few APRN geriatric nurse practitioners.

Status of Legislative Bills:

• S. 80/H. 238, An act related to safe patient handling: The Senate Health and Welfare Committee took testimony on this bill but there has been no recent action.
• H. 268, An act relating to prohibiting mandatory overtime for health care employees: The General Housing, and Military Affairs Committee took testimony, but there has been no further action.
• H. 435, An act relating to palliative care: Passed the House, and the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare is taking testimony. The purpose of this act is “to improve the quality of palliative care and pain management available to all Vermonters, to ensure that Vermonters are aware of their rights and of care options available to them, and to expand access to palliative care services for children and adults in this state.” If the bill passes the Senate, palliative care will be included in the Blueprint for Health, the state’s plan for chronic care infrastructure, prevention and management.

SAVE THE DATE APRIL 7, 2010 NURSES’ DAY AT THE STATE HOUSE!

Legislative Update

Submitted by: Margaret Luce, MSN, RN

Nurses’ Day at the State House is April 1, 2009, 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. Pat Jones, Director of Health Care Quality Improvement , BISHCA, will discuss annual hospital reports re quality indicators such as health care acquired infections. The event is free and is intended to educate nurses on current health care issues and how to effectively advocate in the political arena.
VSNA, as a strategy to increase both the supply of nurses and increase access to care, advocates for funding for educational programs. For the '08-'09 academic year Vermont legislators allocated:

VSAC: $60,000 for scholarships for students enrolled in RN and LPN programs.
AHEC: $400,000 for loan repayment for new RN and LPN graduates who work in Vermont or DHMC.
AHEC: $115,000 for loan repayment for nursing faculty.
AHEC: $700,000 for loan repayment for primary care providers which includes APRNs

Legislation introduced in 2009:

The Summer Study Committee on the End-of-Life, Palliative Care, and Chronic Pain Management issued a 35 page report in January of recommended measures, including some legislative or statutory solutions, to improve care. One of the recommendations is for mandatory continuing education for physicians and nurses on chronic pain management. The House Human Services Committee is drafting legislation.

The full text for bills can be found at www.leg.state.vt.us
S. 80/H. 238 An Act Related to Safe Patient Handling.
S. 52 An Act Related to Enhancing the Penalty for Assault of a Nurse.
H. 223 An Act Relating to Assault on Health Care Worker
H. 151 An Act Related to Substitute Medical Decision Making
H. 268 An Act Relating to Prohibiting Mandatory Overtime for Health Care Employees

You can e-mail your ideas to VSNA. Thanks for the opportunity to be the lobbyist for VSNA, I am always proud to be a nurse who advocates for nursing and health care for Vermonters. Nurses are highly regarded and I am always proud to say I represent VSNA!