Reading the Word About Nurses and the Professional Rebecca M
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Inside THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE LOUISIANA STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION Vol. 64 • No. 2 Circulation 64,000 to all Registered & Licensed Practical Nurses in Louisiana June 2008 LSNA’s Link to the Legislature Ruston District Nurses Association Remembers Nurses in Iraq Page 11 Welcomes Rebecca M. Patton, ANA President LSNA was fortunate to When “Becky” accepted our invitation to come, she have “Becky” Patton as the told us she would be willing to do anything she could keynote speaker for the April 7, to help—and she did! She came in on Sunday the night 2008 “Link to the Legislature/ before and met with LSNA Board of Directors and District Nurse Day” program. The Presidents. The next day she gave her address and stayed title of her address was “ANA for the entire program—meeting with a group of students and You” and it provided after the program was over. In the evening, she attended much information about the our legislative reception and “visited” with members of current activities of ANA and the House Health and Welfare Committee and LSNA its ongoing efforts to address members. Always, in her quiet and friendly manner health care and workplace spreading the word about nurses and the professional Rebecca M. Patton Baton Rouge District issues from a national organization. She must have been exhausted when it was Nurses Association perspective. over! All of us at LSNA appreciate all she did so much! Page 18 LSNA’s Link to the Legislature On Monday, April 7, 2008, LSNA’s “Link to the Due Dates for Pelican News Legislature” was held at the Lod Cook Conference Center Articles 2008 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Over 200 Registered Nurses and student nurses were in attendance. The title of the July 28 program was “Louisiana—In a State of Change” and it was designed to identify how the changes which are taking October 27 place in Louisiana following the recent elections will impact health care and nursing. Alan Levine, newly appointed Secretary of the LA Dept. of Health and Hospitals spoke about the Department Vacancies on LSBN extended of Health and Hospitals and described proposed changes designed to take health care “out to the community.” Page 6 Senator Willie Mount, Chair of the Senate Health and Nurses Day Presidents: From left to right LSNA Welfare Committee and Tom Willmott, RN and member President, Patricia LaBrosse, LASN President Victoria of the House Health and Welfare Committee spoke about Johnson, and Becky Patton who is the ANA President. their roles as members of the Louisiana Legislature. LANO Update Randall Johnson, Governmental Afffairs Consultant with Page 6 Southern Strategy Group described “Legislative Etiquette” More photos on LSNA’s Link to and identified guidelines for political interactions at the local and state level. The “LSNA Legislative Update” the Legislature/Nurse Day presented by Joyce Miller, LSNA Health Policy Chair, Inside this issue . Barbara Morvant, Executive Director of the Louisiana on page 10 President’s Message . 2 State Board of Nursing and Randal Johnson, Governmental Executive Director’s Message . 3 Affairs reviewed proposed legislation which could UL Lafayette Foundations Recognizes impact health care and nursing in Louisiana. Presort Standard Professors and Teachers . 4 Rebecca Patton, ANA President spoke of Health US Postage Recipient of AANP State Awards for Excellence . 4 PAID Care Issues from a national perspective and the Permit #14 Whistleblower Protection . 5 current legislative activities of the American Nurses Princeton, MN 55371 Meet Your Board Members. 8 Association. LSNA News . 9 She also described several initiatives that ANA LANPAC, Leading Change . 11 has developed to improve the work environment Request for Articles . 12 for nurses, including a focus on patient and nurse CE News . 13 New Trends in Foreign Nurse Recruitment . 15 safety, actions to prevent needlesticks, mandatory Elder Abuse . 16 overtime and safe staffing. She discussed the District News. 18 nursing shortage and efforts which must be made to make improvements in the work environment. • Page 2 • PelICan neWs june, july, august 2008 Louisiana State LSNA President’s Message Nurses Association Board of Directors President . PATRICIA LA BROSSE ANA Position Statements addressing work release during President-Elect . DENISE DANNA Vice President . MAXINE JOHNSON About Being Prepared disasters including employer guidelines and RN rights and Secretary . .JONI NICKENS responsibilities; an AJN article on influenza pandemic Treasurer . .BARBARA MOFFETT “It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark” preparedness; and electronic linkages to other national Chairs of Committees and Councils ~Howard Ruff~ resources including CDC, Department of Homeland Resolutions and Bylaws . NORLYN HYDE Health Policy . JOYCE MILLER Security, and the Red Cross, to name a few. Membership . .KEELEY DUPUY Workplace Advocacy . GORDON NATAL Colleagues: Once again we are The next section, “Know Your Disaster,” provides Clinical Practice Council . RAMONA GUIN facing another hurricane season, information regarding the following categories of disasters: Education Council . CYNTHIA PRESTHOLDT Leadership/Management Council . MELISSA STEWART and naturally our thoughts Natural/Environmental; Chemical; Biological, including Research/Informatics Council . .EVELYN WILLS begin to formulate around the Pandemic Influenza; Radiological/Nuclear; and Explosive Immediate Past President . MARILYN SULLIVAN question, “What will it be like Incidents. It includes documents and websites giving District Presidents Alexandria . JUDY KREIDEWEIS this year?” We’ve managed to detailed explanations of disasters and disaster response Baton Rouge . .JACKIE HILL dodge some bad weather bullets from such sources as the American Academy of Pediatrics, Bayou . KIM BRANNAGAN Feliciana. JANICE BONNER-DAVIS since Katrina and Rita in 2005, CDC, Department of Health & Human Services, the DHHS Northshore . BARBARA HUETE Lafayette . MICHELLE CRAIN and there are some predictions Center for Mental Health Services, and the Red Cross. Lake Charles . .ANETHA CRAFT that are “calling for a very active The section entitled “Know the Law/Ethics of Disaster Monroe . .EMILY DOUGHTY New Orleans . BERNADINE MILTON hurricane season this year, but Patricia La Brosse Response” provides information on ethics, re-employment, Ruston . NANCY DARLAND not as active as 2004 and 2005” Shreveport . SHIRLEY CASHIO and licensure during disasters along with resources Tangipahoa . ANN CARRUTH (Colorado State University Forecast Team, 4/10/08). including ANA Position Statements, Nursing Scope and Executive Director As hurricanes, floods, mudslides, collapsing bridges, Standards of Practice, and the Code of Ethics for Nurses. Dr. Joe Ann Clark wildfires and other types of natural and man-made disasters An important new document found here is the American LSNA Staff CAROL CAIRO, PROGRAM, 225-201-0994, [email protected] become more frequent in local, national and international Nurses Association policy paper entitled Adapting PAIGE ASAY office manager, 225-201-0993 CONTINUING EDUCATION, 225-201-0995, [email protected] settings, the need for appropriate, competent professional Standards of Care under Extreme Conditions: Guidance Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. responders increases. There is so much information for Professionals During Disasters, Pandemics, and 225-201-0993 Fax 225-201-0971 available now regarding personal and professional Other Extreme Emergencies. This document evolved as [email protected] preparedness, but my focus for this message is what we a result of ANA’s first policy conference, “Nursing Care Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement of can access through the American Nurses Association. On in Life, Death and Disaster” in June, 2006. Outcomes approval by the Louisiana State Nurses Association of the products advertised, the advertisers or the claims made. our ANA homepage, www.nursingworld.org there are six from this meeting combined with the efforts of an expert Rejection of an advertisement does not imply that a product drop down menus at the top of the page. Once you select panel workgroup charged with the task of developing the offered for advertising is without merit, or that the manufacturer lacks integrity, or that this association disapproves of the “Health Care Policy” and click on “Disaster Preparedness principles to be considered when professionals are faced product or its use. LSNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. shall not be held liable for any consequences & Response,” there will be six topics on the left side of with scarce or absent resources. resulting from purchase or use of advertisers’ products. that page. From there you can access information on After a face-to-face meeting with the panel, several Advertisements will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for preferred positions. LSNA and publishers reserve the personal and professional preparedness that: provides right to reject any advertising. President’s Message cont. on pg. 3 FOR ALL ADVERTISING RATES AND INFORMATION CONTACT THE ARTHUR L. DAVIS AGENCY, P.O. BOX 216, CEDAR FALLS, IOWA 50613, 319-277-2414. THE LOUISIANA STATE NURSES ASSOCIATION AND THE ARTHUR L. DAVIS AGENCY RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REJECT ADVERTISING. Responsibility for errors in advertising is limited to corrections in the next issue or refund of price of advertisement. june, july, august 2008 PelICan neWs • Page 3 • President’s Message from pg. 2 Message from the Executive Director conference calls, and multiple editions, the draft document was placed on the ANA website and open for comment My classmates are all very close—we see one another from nurses and other stakeholders. An important piece I Remember When! at reunions every other year and start talking as though of this review process included an opportunity for the we had talked the day before. That is probably due to participants on the LSNA continuing education cruise last the fact that we all lived in the dormitory and supported Joe Ann Clark, EdD, RN November to provide feedback which was incorporated one another through some good and some rather difficult into the final document. It was published by ANA in In May of this year, I will be times.