|
As many as 1,000 registered nurses from Massachusetts to California were expected to gather in Washington, DC May 11-12, to press the case for moving beyond insurance reform to improving the quality of care in U.S. hospitals and other healthcare settings.
The 2-day event is to be hosted by the nation's largest nurses union and professional association, National Nurses United (NNU). A rally is scheduled for 9 a.m. -12 p.m. May 11 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, International Ballroom at 1919 Connecticut Ave. The march is slated to begin around 10 a.m. May 12 at Union Station.
During the rally and march, the nurses will press for landmark patient safety legislation now in congress, including a bill that would establish national standards based on a California law a major new academic study documents as having dramatically reduced hospital patient deaths.
Several Members of Congress are scheduled to speak Wednesday at the rally and conference, including U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer (CA), Al Franken (MN), and Bernie Sanders (VT); and U.S. Reps Judy Chu (CA), Donna Edwards (MD), Keith Ellison (MN), Al Green (TX), Raul Grijalva (AZ), Dennis Kucinich (OH), Barbara Lee (CA), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Chellie Pingree (MD), Anthony Weiner (NY) and Lynn Woolsey (CA).
The event coincides with National Nurses Week which centers on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, often considered the founder of modern nursing.
"Improving the quality of care is a central component of the unfinished business of healthcare reform," said Massachusetts NNU Co-President Karen Higgins, RN. "Fortunately nurses have the solution -- common sense, comprehensive legislative repairs for our healthcare system that will protect patients."
Among the bills NNU is promoting are The National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (S. 1031/HR. 2273) and the Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act (S. 1788/HR. 2381).
The National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act would, among other things, establish minimum ratios of nurses to patients for all U.S. hospitals. It is modeled after a successful California law which, according to a University of Pennsylvania study issued last month, could have cut post-surgical patient deaths by 14 percent in New Jersey and 11 percent in Pennsylvania, two comparable states the researchers compared to California.
The Penn study, by noted researcher Linda Aiken, RN, PhD, documents "what California nurses have seen every day at the bedside since passage of the law - safer care conditions, an enhanced quality of life for patients, and as an added bonus, reduced burnout for nurses which mitigates the nursing shortage," said California RN and NNU Co-President Deborah Burger.
The legilsation also would promote nurse retention and reduce patient accidents and injuries by establishing safe patient lifting and handling policies. It is based on the successful practice employed in many U.S. hospitals, including the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"Keeping nurses on the front line is critical to improving patient outcomes and upgrading the overall quality of our healthcare system," said Minnesota RN and NNU Co-President, Jean Ross.
NNU is also seeking passage of HR 949/S 362 to restore equal collective bargaining rights for Veterans Affairs nurses.
NNU is the largest union and professional association of RNs in U.S. history with 155,000 members in all U.S. states. It was formed by the December 2009 unification of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, Massachusetts Nurses Association, and United American Nurses.
|