Representative Peggy Wilson's
Press Release Regarding HB 50
LEGISLATURE SENDS HB 50 TO GOVERNOR:
Bill prohibits mandatory overtime for nurses
HB 50 Passes the Legislature
4/18 on a Vote of 20 to 0 by
the Alaska State Senate
The bill now goes to the Governor for his consideration. One more step to go before Registered Nurses of Alaska proudly join with 15 other States in taking steps to protect patient safety through law or regulation to restrict the use of mandatory overtime for nurses.
This speaks for itself after 6 years.
Next stop is consideration by Governor Parnell.
We would like to thank our Senate and House legislative sponsors, Senator Bettye Davis (District K, Anchorage) and Representative Peggy Wilson, RN (Wrangell). Senator Davis and Representative Wilson have tirelessly advocated for the citizens in Alaska who may become patients of the health care system at any given moment. This bill is about patient safety! The bill limits RN’s & LPN’s duty time to 14 hours with 10 hours of rest. (Some specific exceptions are allowed in the bill.) A special thanks goes to Representative Bill Stoltze (Chugiak) who was a co-sponsor and played a big role in getting the bill passed.
Fifteen states have restrictions on the use of mandatory overtime for nurses: thirteen states have enacted restrictions in law: CT, IL, MD, MN, NJ, NH, NY, OR, PA, RI, TX, WA, and WV, while two states have provisions in regulations: CA and MO.
Debbie Thompson, RN, BSN, CNOR (ED AaNA) Nancy Davis, MSN, RN (President AaNA), with Lobbyist Caren Robinson (not pictured Mark Hickey) both Caren & Mark did a tremendous job for the AaNA and the patients in Alaska
The Alaska Nurses Association leadership and members have worked with the legislature for 6 years to educate Senators and Representatives on the need to limit the number of hours a nurse is responsible for a patient’s care. Evidence has shown that the incidence of medication errors goes up dramatically after 12 hours of work. The errors that can not be followed are the errors of omission. According to studies, after 12-14 hours of work, mental acuity and alertness are equivalent to a 0.08 blood alcohol level. At this level, reasoning is impaired. Couple that with difficulty taking breaks and lunch during a shift, and the risk increases of nurses who may not be astute to slight changes in a patient’s condition that require immediate interventions, resulting in a longer hospital stay.
We would like to applaud all of the legislators who co-sponsored the legislation: REPRESENTATIVE(s) P.WILSON, GARA, TUCK, PETERSEN, LYNN, SEATON, GATTO, CISSNA, MUNOZ, GARDNER, Ramras, R.Foster, Kerttula, Gruenberg, Crawford, Stoltze, T.Wilson, N.Foster, Holmes, Kawasaki, & Guttenberg and cross-sponsored SENATOR(s) Thomas, Ellis, Davis, Kookesh, French, Wagoner, Paskvan, Wielechowski, & Egan. This was despite tremendous pressures from the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association (ASHNA) that the reporting mechanism would be quite onerous to the hospitals affected by this legislation in Alaska.
Debbie Thompson, RN, BSN, CNOR (ED AaNA) Nancy Davis, MSN, RN (President AaNA), Senator Bettye Davis and Mary Stackhouse, RN (Vice Chair AaNA Labor Council) visit while waiting for a final Senate Floor vote on HB 50
Please make sure to thank your Senator and Representative for sponsoring and/or voting for this legislation. You can find this information at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/hs_bill_action.asp?session=26
then search for HB 50. If they did not vote for this legislation, just take a moment to educate them on the critical nature of the work that you do for the citizens of Alaska.
Finally, a special thanks to the AaNA Lobbyists Caren Robinson and Mark Hickey for the hours, weeks, months and years they have spent speaking with legislators and their staff on behalf of this very important patient safety legislation.
If you're not familiar with House Bill 50 or Senate Bill 12, check out:
Representative Don Young assists nurses by signing on to HR 2122 and HR 2123
Representative Don Young has signed on to assist nurses in Alaska and across the country by backing the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act (HR 2122) and Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Act (HR 2123). These acts help restrict mandatory overtime and set nurse to patient ratios for the highest quality patient care potential. At the same time, they insure a well staffed nursing workforce by offering an improved working environment for those interested in the public's most trusted profession. For more information please visit www.uan.org and click under legislative action.
Congressman Don Young Co-Sponsors RESPECT Bill
Alaska nurse leaders Kathleen Gettys and Donna Phillips visited the offices of Congressman Don Young, R-Alaska, as part of the United American Nurses lobby effort, March 22, in Washington D.C. Gettys and Phillips also met with the Congressman's wife Lou who took them as her guests to a D.C. Republican luncheon.
Congressman Young, at the request of the two Alaskan nurses, agreed to co-sponsor an important piece of national legislation: The Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradeworkers (RESPECT) Act.- Congressman Young introduced the bill along with Reps. Robert Andres (D-New Jersey) and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut), making the bill a bi-partisan effort.
The bill (HR 1644 and SB 969) would reverse a recent National Labor Relations Board ruling that slashed long-time federal labor law protection of workers' freedom to form unions. The ruling essentially enabled employers to designate as "supervisors" any worker - including nurses - who has the authority to assign or direct another and uses independent judgment. This ruling, in many cases, would have applied to charge nurses. Under federal labor law, supervisors are not protected against retaliation for forming unions.
The NLRB ruling has the potential of negatively impacting Alaska's 6,000 nurses and their patients. During the meeting, Young agreed that the NLRB decision undermined workers' ability to form unions and was a form of "union-busting"; With Congressman Young's support, the UAN and American Nurses Association are optimistic about the newly introduced legislation's chance of becoming law.
Ketchikan Nurses Honored with Guardian Angel Award
"I recognize KGH Home Health & Hospice Staff as Guardian Angels for exceptional and outstanding service. The staff members at Home Health are like angels because they go above and beyond the call of duty in providing exemplary health care that is both professional and compassionate. It is impossible to single out one person because they work seamlessly as a team. Their collective knowledge and expertise is a powerful force for good in the lives of people in Ketchikan.
They touch their patients with inspiration, motivation, and hope. They help their patients tap into their emotional and spiritual strength, empowering them to face difficult challenges. They bring peace and well-being to entire families. These angels truly make a difference for the betterment of lives in our community." Grateful Family Ann
Thank you!
Gretchen Klein
NURSING PRACTICE:
Alaska Board of Nursing clarifies role of RN's in education of EMT's and Paramedics
The Alaska Board of Nursing has given careful consideration to the issue of RN's assisting with the education of EMT's and Paramedics in the workplace. It very clearly notes that the RN is not to delegate any procedure to the EMT or Paramedic. If this occurs at any hospital in the state and you feel it is being done above your wishes or licensure as an RN in Alaska, please share this letter with your manager and facility. If there are further questions, please contact Debbie Thompson, AaNA President at 907-274-0827.
Click here for More Information (2008BON_EMT_Opinion.pdf - 748K)
