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Legislative Updates
For some time now, the role of NHAWHONN Legislative Liaison has gone unfilled. We are grateful to Coordinating Team member Ann Hebert for all that she has done to keep us posted on goings-on in the New Hampshire legislature that affect nursing, but she has her hands full as our Secretary-Treasurer.
So we are pleased to welcome Jean Dudley, RNC, MSN, a new member of our team who has a special interest in legislative affairs and their impact on nursing and nursing care.
A staff nurse for 21 years at Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts, she works in labor and delivery, postpartum, and the nursery, circulates, and established a prenatal testing unit. In her "spare time," she serves as a lecturer in nursing at Lawrence Memorial/Regis College, and is a member of the OB Practice and Policy committees at Beverly as well as a member of Sigma Theta Tau.
Like many, many nurses, Jean was named in a lawsuit, which was settled out of court in 2006, after what she describes as "five years of emotional turmoil." That same year, Jean had the opportunity to testify at a Senate hearing and speak at a press conference on behalf of nurses nationwide regarding medical malpractice reform legislation. Here is what she said:
"As many of you are aware, one out of 11 obstetricians has stopped delivering babies, either by moving to other states or leaving obstetrics altogether," she said.
"I am a nurse and have been involved in the care of obstetric patients for more than 25 years. Many people are unaware that when an OB in named in a lawsuit, a nurse is also named. You receive a letter from lawyers accusing you personally of reckless, willful and malicious care of your patients-a very intimidating letter. And it does intimidate. Nurses working in L&D leave their jobs. In some cases, you do not hear again from the lawyers for more than two years-yet you have been pronounced guilty of negligence without any proof. I do not know of any OB nurses who are malicious in their care, and resent this accusation against nurses before any proof has been determined.
"Would I encourage RNS to practice in OB nursing? Yes -- because I love my job and caring for OB patients. (But) the profession of nursing is in a critical stage as the nation's nursing shortage is crippling our health care system's ability to deliver quality health care. What many do not realize is that there are 66,000 men and women waiting to get into nursing programs-while there are too few nursing faculty to meet the need. I am presently in school, obtaining a master's degree in hope of teaching. Because of having been named in a lawsuit, I am unable to obtain private malpractice coverage, required by many schools of nursing to teach.
"The emotional toll is immense on nurses who are involved in lawsuits, whether or not they have done anything wrong. We need liability reform that promotes patient's rights while protecting health care providers."
Jean says that she is looking forward to hearing what speaker Lisa Miller has to say on the subject of nurses buying private malpractice insurance, a controversial subject among those in the profession, and is looking forward to her new role with NHAWHONN.
Welcome aboard, Jean!
Now let's hear from Jean herself!
Dear Fellow AWHONN Member,
I recently became your new legislative coordinator for New Hampshire AWHONN. Being new to this position, I would appreciate any input from you as to your expectations and how you would like me to fulfill this role.
As you are aware, the AWHONN website keeps members abreast of legislative news on the national level. I will attempt to do the same at the state level. Let me know of any bills pending in the state legislature that deal with AWHONN issues that I might miss.
There is a bill on the national level, the MOTHERS Act, which would provide screening and education to new moms on postpartum depression and psychosis. This bill also seeks to increase research on the topic. I would encourage all AWHONN members to contact their legislators to endorse this bill. It is very easy to accomplish. On the national AWHONN website (www.awhonn.org) log in, click on health policy and legislation, then Legislative Action Center. This will bring you to the screen concerning the MOTHERS Act. Click on "Take Action," scroll down, and fill out the information. AWHONN has already written the letter for you. Click "send" and it will automatically be sent to our Senators and Representatives. Just think what would happen if all 233 AWHONN members in NH responded!!
Many nurses do not understand how strongly nursing practice is influenced by policy, politics, and statutes that come from legislative bodies. For example, a bill on the state level will become mandatory January 1, 2008, regulating mandatory overtime for nurses. If you would like to view this law, go to www.state.nh.us and enter HB797. Last year a bill relating to breastfeeding was deemed inexpedient to legislate. It essentially said breast feeding a child does not constitute an act of indecent exposure and limiting the right of a mother to breast-feed is discriminatory. Did we miss a chance to promote breast-feeding in our state?
I am hoping we will be able to connect our NH AWHONN website to the state list of senators and representative, similar to the national website. Until that time, you can e-mail your state legislators at www.gencourt.state.nh.us/whosmyleg/. When you enter your place of residence their names will appear; click on the name and you will get his/her e-mail address.
I am looking forward to working with all of you and welcome any feedback.
Jean Dudley
jedudley@alumni.unh.edu |
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