“We want to show support for candidates who recognize nursing’s role in the delivery of care and the importance of educating, recruiting and retaining, RNs,” said ANA-PAC Chair Mary Behrens, RN, MSN, FNP-C. “With issues such as the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, patients’ rights, and access to care on the political agenda, getting nurses’ voices heard has never been more important.”

ANA-PAC makes their decisions through candidate interviews, communicating with the Constituent Member Associations, gathering information on the campaign, and assessing a candidate’s voting record on ANA priority issues. For more information on ANA-PAC’s endorsement process please visit, http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAPoliticalPower/ANAPAC/Endorsement Process.aspx

2010 ANA-PAC Endorsements

Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-07)
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA-Senate)
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA-06)
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-08)
Congressman Jerry McNerney (D-CA-11)
Congressman Pete Stark (D-CA-13)
*Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA-23)
Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA-30)
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-34)
Congresswoman Laura Richardson (D-CA-37)
Congressman Bob Filner (D-CA-51)
Andrew Romanoff (D -CO – Senate Challenger)
Congressman John Salazar (D-CO-03)
Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-CO-07)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT-Senate Open Seat Challenger)
Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT-02)
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03)
Chris Coons (D-DE-Senate Open Seat Challenger)
*Yolly Roberson (D-FL-17-Open Seat Challenger)
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-FL-20)
Joe Garcia (D-FL-25-Open Seat Challenger)
Congressman John Lewis (D-GA-05)
Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI-Senate)
Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI-01-Challenger)
Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL-01)
Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09)
Congresswoman Debbie Halvorson (D-IL-11)
Congressman Phil Hare (D-IL-17)
Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN-07)
Congressman Bruce Braley (D-IA-01)
Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA-02)
Congressman Leonard Boswell (D-IA-03)
*Stephene Moore (D-KS-03-Open Seat Challenger)
Jack Conway (D-KY-Senate Open Seat Challenger)
Congressman John Yarmuth (D-KY-03)
Cedrick Richmond (D-LA-02-Challenger)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD-Senate)
Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD-06)
Congressman John Olver (D-MA-01)
Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA-02)
Congressman James McGovern (D-MA-03)
Congressman Dale Kildee (D-MI-05)
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI-14)
Congressman John Dingell (D-MI-15)
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV-Senate)
Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV-03)
Congressman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ-02)
Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ-04)
Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06)
Congressman Leonard Lance (R-NJ-07)
Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ-12)
Congressman Martin Heinrich (D-NM-01)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY-Senate)
Congressman Tim Bishop (D-NY-01)
*Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY-04)
Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY-07)
Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY-09)
Congressman Ed Towns (D-NY-10)
Congressman Mike McMahon (D-NY-13)
Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17)
Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY-22)
Congressman Mike Arcuri (D-NY-24)
Congressman Dan Maffei (D-NY-25)
Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-ND-AL)
Congressman Steve Driehaus (D-OH-01)
Congressman Patrick Tiberi (R-OH-12)
Congressman Steve LaTourette (R-OH-14)
Congressman John Boccieri (D-OH-16)
Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH-17)
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR-Senate)
Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-03)
Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR-05)
Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA-Senate Challenger)
Congressman Robert Brady (D-PA-01)
Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA-08)
Congressman Chris Carney (D-PA-10)
Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz (D-PA-13)
David Cicilline (D-RI-01-Open Seat Challenger)
Congressman James Langevin (D-RI-02)
Congressman Charles Gonzalez (D-TX-20)
Congressman Gene Green (D-TX-29)
*Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX-30)
Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11)
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA-Senate)
Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA-01)
Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA-02)
Denny Heck (D-WA-03-Open Seat Challenger)
Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA-07)
Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA-08)
Governor Joe Manchin (D-WV-Senate Open Seat Challenger)
Mike Oliverio (D-WV-01-Open Seat Challenger)
Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV-03)
Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI-Senate)
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI-02)
Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI-04)
Julie Lassa (D-WI-07-Open Seat Challenger)

*Denotes Nurse Candidate or Member of Congress

Source:
American Nurses Association

2010 ANA-PAC Election Endorsements, Nursing Resource Admin

The American Nurses Association (ANA) applauds the introduction of federal legislation that empowers registered nurses (RNs) to drive staffing decisions in hospitals and, as a result, protect patients and improve the quality of care.

On the heels of the introduction of the Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2010 (S. 3491/H.R. 5527), hundreds of registered nurses from across the country flocked to Capitol Hill last month to meet with their congressional representatives, emphasizing that insufficient nurse staffing can be a life-or-death issue for patients and that federal legislation is needed to ensure that hospitals don’t limit resources in a way that harms patient outcomes.

The RN Safe Staffing Act, crafted with input from ANA, has sponsors from both political parties – Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Reps. Steven LaTourette (R-OH) and Lois Capps (D-CA), a nurse.

“We know that nurses across the country are deeply concerned about unsafe staffing because it puts patients at risk, as well as puts nurses’ careers on the line,” said ANA President Karen Daley, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN. “Nurses observe all the time how insufficient nurse staffing diminishes the quality of care for patients. We won’t stop advocating on this issue until federal legislation is enacted to increase protections for patients and ensure fair working conditions for nurses.”

Research has shown that higher staffing levels by experienced RNs are linked to lower rates of patient falls, infections, medication errors, and even death. And when unanticipated events happen in a hospital resulting in patient death, injury or permanent loss of function, inadequate nurse staffing often is cited as a contributing factor.

The bill would require hospitals to establish committees that would create unit-by-unit nurse staffing plans based on multiple factors, such as the number of patients on the unit, severity of the patients’ conditions, experience and skill level of the RNs, availability of support staff and technological resources.

ANA backed a similar staffing bill in the last Congress. This version includes new requirements that a hospital’s staffing committee be comprised of at least 55 percent direct care nurses or their representatives, and that the staffing plans must establish adjustable minimum numbers of RNs per unit.

ANA has a long track record of advocating for safe staffing conditions for the nation’s registered nurses, through development of ANA’s Principles for Nurse Staffing in 1999, work with legislators and implementation of a national nursing quality database program that correlates staffing to patient outcomes. In 2007, the association launched its “Safe Staffing Saves Lives” grass-roots campaign, calling on nurses to become advocates. Nearly 1,000 RNs have sent their personal stories to ANA, describing how insufficient staffing on their units has put their patients in jeopardy, overwhelmed them with unmanageable patient loads, and, in some cases, driven them from their jobs.

The safe staffing bill would require hospitals that participate in Medicare to publicly report nurse staffing plans for each unit. It would place limits on the practice of “floating” nurses by ensuring that RNs are not forced to work on units if they lack the education and experience in that specialty. It also would hold hospitals accountable for safe nurse staffing by requiring the development of procedures for receiving and investigating complaints; allowing imposition of civil monetary penalties for knowing violations; and providing whistle-blower protections for those who file a complaint about staffing.

To date, seven states have passed nurse safe staffing legislation that closely resembles ANA’s national approach to ensure safe staffing. Those states are Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

Source:
American Nurses Association

Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Bill Introduced In Congress, Nursing Resource Admin

ANA sponsored the briefing to highlight the nursing profession’s concerns over chemical exposure and its impact on health care professionals and the patients we serve. “In keeping with this year’s National Nurses Week theme, Nurses: Caring Today for a Healthier Tomorrow, ANA came to Capitol Hill to educate lawmakers about the potential health risks of chemical exposures and the need for real environmental reform. ANA has been a leader in the formation of public policy that affects human health, and as nurses, will continue to advocate for laws that counteract potential threats to human health,” said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR.

Nurses, as the largest group of health care providers, recognize the serious impact chemical exposure has on the public’s health. Studies continue to demonstrate a link between chemical exposure and serious illnesses, including cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, neurological diseases and asthma. Exposure in the workplace puts nurses and other health care professionals at an even greater risk. To illustrate the dangers of chemical exposure, ANA, in partnership with Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), took part in a first of its kind biomonitoring study of physicians and nurses in October 2009. The findings showed each study participant had at least 24 individual chemicals present in their systems, four of which are on the recently released EPA list of priority chemicals for regulation. These chemicals are all associated with chronic illness and physical disorders.

Among the speakers at Tuesday’s event was Donna Yancey, RN, BSN, CRRN, a retired nurse and one of the biomonitoring study participants. Other speakers included Nancy Hughes, MS, RN, and director of ANA’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Andy Igrejas, campaign director for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, and Joyce Martin, the director of Environmental Health Policy for the American Association on Individual and Developmental Disabilities.

National Nurses Week, first founded by ANA, focuses on giving thanks, recognition and acknowledgment for all nurses do for patients. Today’s nurses must have the strength to care for patients during times of disaster and crisis, and the compassion to provide hands-on patient care at the bedside – as they have done throughout the centuries. Moreover, at 3.1 million strong, nurses represent the largest group of health care workers in America, and have the power to achieve much-needed reform in health care and in nursing.

Source
American Nurses Association

ANA Advocates For Chemical Reform During Capitol Hill Nurses Week Event, Nursing Resource Admin