FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/May 26, 1998

CONTACT:Michael Stewart [202/651-7048];
Michelle Slattery [202/651-7027];
http://www.nursingworld.org

Embargo Note: All ANA convention

Judd and Arnold to Speak to Nurses and Health Care Professionals at ANA Convention

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Country music superstar and registered nurse (RN) Naomi Judd was diagnosed with Hepatitis C due to a workplace injury sustained during her nursing career. Registered nurse Lynda Arnold contracted HIV as a result of a needlestick injury. Their life-threatening and life-changing injuries highlight the need for safer needlestick devices. Both will speak of their experiences and how their lives have changed at a press briefing to be held at the American Nurses Association's (ANA) Convention in San Diego on Sat., June 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon at the San Diego Convention Center, in the ANA media briefing room (Room 7A).

The briefing immediately follows the Convention's opening session (Sat., June 27, 9 - 10:30 a.m.) to be keynoted by Judd. Judd speaks from a nursing and a patient perspective since she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C several years ago and given little hope of having a normal, healthy lifestyle. Against all odds, her disease is now in remission. Judd's keynote message will focus on the inextricable connection of the spirit, mind, and body. She will also discuss the tremendous power of hope and the capacity everyone has to make healthier choices, rise above their circumstances, and follow their dreams.

The ANA strongly supports the Health Worker Protection Act of 1997, federal legislation that would mandate the substitution of existing needlestick products with safer needle devices. These safer devices would help prevent needlestick injuries as well as minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease through work-related exposure to blood. The bill, H.R. 2754, was introduced by Rep. Pete Stark (D-13th-CA) on October 28, 1997. A companion measure (S. 2056) has been introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Henry Reid (D-NV).

Specifically, the legislation would: 1)ensure that safer medical devices are reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration for their efficacy and quickly made available to front line health care workers; 2) mandate an education campaign to inform health care workers about the risks associated with bloodborne pathogens and the use of safer needle devices; and, 3) make the use of such safer devices a condition for hospitals' participation in the Medicare program.

ANA worked closely with Rep. Stark's office on the bill and lobbied for this legislation in conjunction with its safety and quality initiative. ANA is committed to protecting health care workers in their work settings and campaigns vigorously to maintain safe standards for all health care workers and the patients for whom they are responsible. In addition, ANA promotes the consistent and strict use of universal precautions; the availability of proven safety measures; the standardization of methods to ensure equipment is safe; and, the continued evaluation and modification of work practices by staff nurses to ensure optimum safety in the work place.

"It is critical that registered nurses be involved in determining the safety precautions health care facilities need because they are on the front lines and see the tragedies that can occur when inadequate measures are in place," said ANA President Beverly L. Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN.

As part of these efforts to protect health care workers, ANA also supports the Lynda Arnold National Campaign for Health Care Worker Safety, a grass roots campaign initiated in February 1996 to encourage hospitals to adopt safer needle systems.

While working in the intensive care unit at Community Hospital in Lancaster, PA, more than five years ago, Arnold, a registered nurse just four months out of school, was removing a catheter needle from a patient's vein when the patient suddenly moved his arm. According to Arnold, "that movement forced the needle into my palm. When I took off my [latex] gloves to wash my hands, I realized that not only was I stuck, but I was also bleeding."

Six months after she experienced this injury, Arnold learned that she had been infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. "I am living proof that it does happen and that the consequences can be deadly," said Arnold. As part of her national campaign, Arnold is asking every health care facility in the United States to sign a commitment to implement protective blood drawing devices and intravenous catheters. Safer needle devices are cost-effective when weighed against the total direct and indirect costs associated with needlesticks. In addition to the immeasurable costs of life and lifestyle changes, the treatment costs for injuries related to needlesticks continue to rise.

"Congressman Stark's Health Worker Protection Act provides front line health care workers with the information and tools they need to practice more safely," stated Malone. "Furthermore, the ANA, in conjunction with Lynda Arnold's campaign, is urging health care facilities to purchase only those devices known to reduce the risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American health care workers report more than 800,000 needlesticks and sharps injuries each year; however, the numbers of needlestick injuries are considered to be underreported. Approximately 80 percent of blood contacts occur through needlesticks, making them the most common cause of health care worker-related exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

Nurses are the largest group of health care workers in the United States, and as of 1996, made up 24 percent of the 52 reported and 111 potential cases of HIV infection among health care workers known or thought to have been infected on the job. Although these numbers may appear low, 86 percent of all reported occupational HIV exposures resulted from needlestick injuries caused by hollow-bore needles. Therefore, given the numbers of annual needlestick injuries, the potential for additional cases of HIV infection is significant. In addition, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, two other life-threatening conditions, are the most common infectious diseases acquired through work-related exposure to blood. According to the CDC, health care workers have a 1-in-300 chance of acquiring AIDS from a needlestick and a 1-in-6 chance of contracting hepatitis B.

Those at risk for needlestick or sharps injuries include anyone who handles blood, blood products, and biological samples, as well as housekeeping staff and those responsible for the disposal of contaminated materials. According to the CDC, as of the end of 1996, 18,856 health care workers had contracted HIV in the workplace (not necessarily through needlestick injuries), with 76 percent of those workers being reported as having died of AIDS.

ANA Convention Media Briefings

Nursing Researchers to Present Findings on Need for Pain Management -- With Adults and Children
Pain: We fear confronting it at some point in life and dread encountering it in the life of a loved one. Part of the fear pain inspires is that it can seem incommunicable and baffling, and it can be terribly isolating. People across the life cycle are vulnerable to pain due to illness or injury, but the experience and anticipation of pain have particular impact on end-of-life decision-making. Research on pain management offers new hope, and nurses are key investigators. Hear from the experts at this briefing.
Thurs., 6/25, 10 - 11 a.m., ANA media briefing room, San Diego Convention Center (Room 7A)

Country Music Superstar Naomi Judd and Nurse Lynda Arnold Highlight Disease Risks of Occupational Injuries to Nurses and Other Health Care Professionals
Sat., 6/27, 11 a.m. - 12 noon, ANA media briefing room, San Diego Convention Center (Room 7A)

Please contact Michael Stewart or Michelle Slattery for a media registration packet (see contact information at the beginning of this release). The packet will include a preliminary program and other background materials. (Please note: Media needing housing should call toll-free 888-813-2749. Due to lodging limitations, we encourage media registrants to make their housing reservations as early as possible.) Journalists unable to attend the convention are encouraged to register to cover it from off-site. They, too, will be supplied with advance background materials and supported through telephone contact with ANA staff working in the press room during the convention.

ANA Convention Media Releases: