3/31/04
The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and the International Commission on Healthcare Professions (ICHP) are sponsoring a special educational program on the new regulations approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) affecting hiring of foreign health care workers in the U.S.

3/30/04
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released its long-awaited Alert titled, "Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings."

3/30/04
"Evaluating State Approaches to the Medical Malpractice Crisis" will examine state response and evaluate the short and long term benefits of various state approaches in dealing with the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance.

3/29/04
The Survey of the Recipients of Maryland Nursing Scholarships, conducted by the Maryland Higher Education Commission, found that 99 percent of the nurses who received financial assistance and are now completing their service obligation said they planned to remain in nursing after their service obligations run out.

"This survey shows us that financial aid aimed at nurses is a powerful incentive to keep nurses in the field and working in Maryland," Calvin W. Burnett, Acting Secretary of Higher Education, said in a statement.

3/25/04
You are invited to attend the 'Share the Savings' Spring Sales Event, Thursday, March 25th through Sunday, March 28th. Take 40% off your entire purchase at any Reebok, Rockport, Ralph Lauren Footwear and Greg Norman U.S. Outlet Store, March 25th through March 28th.

3/24/04
The University of Rochester School of Nursing will double in size with the addition of a new $7 million wing. The university is expected to increase enrollment by 60 percent.

Improvements will include a high-tech auditorium, facilities for wireless computing, distance learning, and laptop docking stations. "It will enable us to accept more students and provide them a better quality education," said the nursing school’s Associate Dean Renu Singh. Construction of the new nursing school wing begins in August and will open next year.

3/22/04
The American Nurses Foundation is accepting applications and nominations for the 2004 Distinguished Contribution to Nursing Science Award (DCNS), a biennial celebration designed to recognize prominent nurse researchers. Past recipients include Ramona Mercer, PhD, RN, FAAN; Nancy Fugate Woods, PhD, RN, FAAN; Barbara Givens, PhD, RN, FAAN; Marie Cowan, PhD, RN, FAAN; Cornelia Beck, PhD, RN, FAAN and Joyce Fitzpatrick, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN.

Award recipients are selected on the basis of demonstrated evidence of sustained contributions to nursing science, demonstrated evidence of significant influence in the nursing professions through nursing research and research related activities, and a demonstrated impact on nursing, health care or public policy. The award carries a $1,000 honorarium and paid attendance to the 2004 ANA convention Awards celebration in Minneapolis.

3/19/04
ANA nurse representatives joined with Democratic members of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues and women firefighters and police for a March 17 press conference aimed at exposing the devastating impact the Bush administration's FY 2005 budget will have on women and children.

Speaking at the U.S. Capitol press event, ANA President Barbara Blakeney, MS, APRN,BC, ANP, urged the President and Congress not to abandon the insurance safety net for America's women and children in particular. "It is a national disgrace that there are nearly 44 million Americans living without health insurance coverage, including 8.5 million children -- and those numbers are rising," Blakeney said. "Nurses see firsthand, every day, the consequences of living without health insurance: delayed treatment, sicker patients, worse outcomes."

Joining Blakeney were House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Women's Caucus Co-Chair Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam), Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA), and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH). The Democratic members of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues also released a letter to President Bush protesting the cuts that in addition to hurting health care, will also slash funding for violence against women programs, small businesses, child care and education.

As Blakeney noted, problems in state finances have resulted in unprecedented cuts to Medicaid programs and the State Children's Health Insurance Program - known as S-CHIP. Recent studies have shown that budget rollbacks have already removed as many as 1.6 million low-income people from these insurance programs. Nearly half of persons losing insurance coverage are children. In addition, nearly one in 10 American women -- and one-third of all poor women -- are in jeopardy of losing their access to health care through the Medicaid program.

Yet, the Administration's budget proposal reduces net federal funding for Medicaid by nearly $1 billion in fiscal year 2005 and by nearly $16 billion over the next decade. The House budget resolution assumes that the Energy and Commerce Committee will cut Medicaid $2.2 billion over the next five years. In addition, the administration's budget does not extend S-CHIP funds that, without such an extension, will revert to the federal Treasury. As a result, $63 million will expire from the S-CHIP program at the end of fiscal year 2005. This will cause about nine states to run out of S-CHIP funds in 2005.

3/19/04
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on March 4 that Moving Solutions, Inc., of Downers Grove, Ill., is recalling its patient lifts because of a faulty design.

With the Moving Solutions lift, excessive wear of the main bolt, which secures the lift arm to the main frame of the patient lift, will cause the bolt to break. When the bolt breaks, the lift arm is no longer secured to the lift, which will cause the patient to fall.

3/18/04
ANA President Barbara Blakeney has joined with leaders of a broad coalition of public health, labor, education and faith-based organizations in opposing a proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that would relax current standards on toxic mercury emissions. The coalition, spearheaded by Physicians for Social Responsibility, announced its opposition at a press conference on March 16 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Blakeney joined with former EPA Administrator Carol Browner and children's health experts to outline how the Bush administration's polluter-friendly initiative threatens the health and development of the nation's children, and to demand that the EPA not proceed with its plan to weaken existing mercury standards under the Clean Air Act. Under current law, toxic mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants would be reduced by 90 percent by 2008. The proposed EPA rule would delay these significant reductions for 15 years or longer.

"Studies show that more than 60,000 children a year suffer from learning disabilities caused by mercury exposures before birth," said Blakeney, who spoke at the press conference. "This is a travesty that can be prevented with proper action by our government. We must make our children's health a priority."

Blakeney also noted that government and industry should follow actions already taken by the health care industry to significantly reduce mercury pollution. "Just a decade ago, hospital waste incinerators were a top source of mercury emissions to the environment," she noted. "But now, thanks to strict federal regulations, these facilities have reduced their mercury emissions by more than 90 percent. In addition, many hospitals have phased out mercury-containing devices like thermometers and blood-pressure cuffs (sphygmomanometers). We must expect no less from the electric utility industry."

3/18/04
The Gustav O. Lienhard Award recognizes individuals for outstanding achievement in improving health care services in the United States. Award recipients are selected on the basis of two principal criteria: achievement in the area of personal health services and achievement of national scope. Nominations for the 2004 Lienhard Award are due April 30, 2004.

Your attendance at this innovative conference (April 29-30, 2004) will give you the opportunity to participate in creating a cutting edge research agenda that promises to guide the work in this field for years to come. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, sociological, economic, and health dimensions of long work hours will be explored. You will understand the impact long working hours is having on occupational safety, health, and well-being and learn about current and emerging interventions in this field.

The ANA is co-sponsoring a special half-day session on Friday, April 30, 2004 (1:30-4:30 PM) to specifically discuss the issue of long working hours in Nursing. Contact hours for this half-day session provided by ANA Center for Continuing Education.

Sponsors: University of Maryland School of Nursing, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Justice, and American Nurses Association (added half-day session focused on Nursing)

3/15/04
Immunization for Public Health (I4PH) has been created to provide information about vaccines to those who need it. I4PH, a new Texas-based nonprofit corporation, is now hosting the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii) web site at www.immunizationinfo.org. NNii, an established affiliation of organizations which includes the American Nurses Association (ANA) as a partner, provides up-to-date, scientifically valid information about vaccines and immunizations.

In the future, I4PH plans to launch an additional immunization information web site in both English and Spanish. The site will address immunization issues around the world.

3/11/04
ICN's 23rd Quadrennial Congress is scheduled for May 21-27, 2005 in Taipei, Taiwan. Prominent guest speakers will give plenary sessions on nursing knowledge and innovation, focusing on the most pressing and timely topics of interest for nursing and health care.

3/10/04
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and Health Forum will host the Leadership Summit on July 25-27 in San Diego, CA. The Summit draws over a thousand senior health care executives and industry experts who come to address the most compelling leadership challenges and opportunities facing health care professionals.

This year's meeting will focus on change, innovation, the evolving relationships within the hospital system, and especially on each leader's ability to manage contradictions and competing demands. The Summit's educational content is organized into six tracks that reflect the most critical issues in the industry. Tracks included are: New Designs for Improving Organizational Performance; Planning for Financial and Capital Sustainability; Information Technology for Clinical Transformation; Advances and Challenges in Patient Safety; Managing Chronic Care for Healthy Communities; and Meeting the Demands of Leading Complex Organizations.

3/09/04
As the pivotal publication for and about the practice of nursing, this complete revision of Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, an ANA classic, casts a wider net than previous versions. It addresses not only advanced and general practice, but also the non-clinical practice of nursing role specialties. It encompasses the entirety of contemporary professional nursing practice at every level, role, or setting. The Foundations of Nursing Package includes the following:

• Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements
• Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice
• Nursing's Social Policy Statement, Second Edition

3/08/04
This fall, Nevada State College at Henderson will launch an accelerated nursing program, designed primarily for people looking for a career change. Those who already have college degrees and who have taken a couple of required prerequisites can complete what is normally a two-year program in one year and leave with a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

Robert Rosseter, a spokesman for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, said there are 130 accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs nationwide, with about 50 more in the planning stages.

"Given the nursing shortage, this is a very smart option for schools to consider," said Rosseter. "It's right on a lot of levels."

There is a severe shortage of nurses nationwide, and Nevada ranks at the bottom of the list. The state has about 520 nurses per 100,000 people; the national average is 782.

3/04/04
The CDC Public Health Law News is a free electronic newsletter published weekdays by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Law Program. The newsletter contains abstracts of current news stories on public health law and related subjects; announcements of public health law-related publications, conferences, Congressional hearings, and other events; and much more.

3/02/04
The Eisenberg awards recognize the lifetime achievements of individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to improving patient safety, and recognize individuals and organizations who, through a specific initiative or project, have made a significant contribution to patient safety in the areas of advocacy, system innovation or research.

3/02/04
On May 10, 2004, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is planning the second annual National Women's Check-Up Day. This day will complement and support efforts to help underserved women gain access to important preventive health care services and further the President's long-range initiative to expand health care services through local health centers for people without health insurance.

3/01/04
Families USA has launched a nationwide senior awareness campaign about the new Medicare prescription drug law. ANA opposed the measure because it seriously jeopardizes the basic principles of the original Medicare program of being a broad-based, reliable social-insurance program that is available to all eligible individuals regardless of income. The new law also includes wide gaps in drug benefit coverage and specifically prohibits the federal government from negotiating with drug makers for discount prices for seniors.

The launch of the campaign featured the premiere showing of a new Families USA video, hosted by Walter Cronkite. The video was produced to help seniors understand the new Medicare law and includes seniors talking candidly about the difficult time they've had finding the drugs they need at prices they can afford and how they expect the drug overage offered by the new Medicare law will affect their out-of-pocket drug costs.