Vermont Nurse Connection
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Vermont Nurse Connection Quarterly Circulation 20,000 to all Registered Nurses, LPNs, LNAs, and Student Nurses in Vermont Volume 11 • Number 2 Vermont State Nurses’ Association Offi cial Publication May, June, July 2008 Inside... President’s Letter June M. Benoit, MSN, FNP crucial to VSNA staying on top of issues affecting our nursing profession and patient safety/ quality care. She By the time you are provides regular reports to the VSNA Executive Board reading this edition of the and through the VSNA list-serve members are notified of VNC, hopefully the cold impending bills needing nurses’ input to elected officials. weather and snow storms Recently Margaret asked members to contact Committee of the winter will just be Chairs and legislators about H. 11, An Act Relating to a memory and navigating Commissioner of Health and S. 281, End of Life Care through mud season will be and Pain Management. I hope many of you participated. National Nurses Week our latest challenge! Our nursing profession can only be as politically strong as our members. You can view the VSNA Legislative Page 3 “I think one’s feelings waste Platform on our website: www.vsna-inc.org by choosing themselves in words, they the “Mission/Vision” link on the home page. You can ought to be all distilled into also find information about general legislation, track bills, actions and into actions that check voting records, and find contact information for which bring results.” Benoit your elected officials by choosing the “Political Action” Florence Nightingale link on the home page. This page also gives you a link to the VSNA Lobbyist Guide. The Guide explains how a bill Elections: becomes law and how best to contact your elected officials. As I am writing this letter the political campaign Also on this page is a link to Vermont Legislature’s ads have flooded television as various states hold their Commission on Health Care Reform. primaries for the presidential race. Nurses by nature have always been activists and champions for patients and Health Insurance our profession. One of the earliest political activists was Health insurance continues to be big news and a big Florence Nightingale, as evidenced by the above quote. I heartache for many people. The rising cost of health care Mutual Fund Investing encourage comfortable political activism in our members. affects school budgets and what programs may be offered, Political activism can be as simple as writing letters or it affects employer compensation packages with some Page 10 emailing legislators, submitting a Letter to the Editor in employers choosing not to offer insurance, and has been your local newspapers, participating in rallies, or signing linked to personal bankruptcy more often than bankruptcy up to work for candidates, etc. from credit card debt. In 2006 Act 191 was signed into law Being knowledgeable about issues is crucial. This year to initiate comprehensive health care reform in VT. One of will prove to be an important election year on both state the basic objectives of this reform was to ensure access to Index and national levels, not only for health care issues but also affordable health insurance coverage for all Vermonters. President’s Letter . 1 for our economic stability and our national security. I urge Out of Act 191 came the creation of Catamount Health all nurses to learn about each candidate for local, state, and as a new insurance option for the uninsured and provision Celebrate National Nurses’ Week . 3 of premium subsidies for those individuals with incomes national office and to VOTE! Nurses are on the front lines Strategies for Engaging a Diverse in health care and must advocate for quality patient care and below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. Another charge nursing issues like safe staffing, safe workplace, practice was to explore options for Vermonters who are “under- Pool of Nurses . 5 issues, etc. Imagine the potential political power nine insured,” Vermonters who have insurance that is not Personal & Financial Health . 8 affordable or not meeting their health needs. The goal million nurses would have if each nurse voted! Consumers New Century Scholar . 12 trust nurses and may ask your opinion about health-related of Catamount was to reduce the number of uninsured in legislations. Hopefully, many of you were able to participate Vermont to 4% by the year 2010. Signup for Catamount Student News . 12 April 2nd in our Nurses’ Day at the Statehouse! This annual began last October and coverage started on November 1st, Continuing Education Opportunities . 13 2007. Those of you who attended our Nurses Day at the opportunity is free to all RNs and nursing students. Vermont Legislative Update . 14 To help you become a more educated voter I encourage State House on April 2nd were able to learn more about you to visit the Government Affairs link from the home this important initiative. Membership Application . 16 page of the ANA website: www.ana.org. This link gives On a related issue of funding hospital care, the VSNA has ANA/VSNA News . 17 you access to federal and state government affairs, as well been interested in H. 304, a bipartisan proposal introduced District News . 17 as the Election 2008 Action Center where you will be by Topper McFaun, (R) from Barre Town (father of past able to learn about candidates and the electoral process. At VSNA president, Kate Williams), Democrats Susan Bartlett Honor a Nurse-VSNF . 18 and Alice Nitka, and spearheaded by Deb Richter, MD. the Federal Government Affairs section you will be able ANA Call to Action . 18 to monitor issues facing nurses, and become familiar with Topper and the other legislators, Dr. Richter and her citizen’s ANA’s 2007-2008 Legislative Initiatives and track federal group, Save Vermont Health Care, are trying to rally support Specialty Organizations . 18 legislation. ANA's State Government Affairs program for this bill. H.304 is called the Vermont Hospital Security monitors over 1,000 nursing and health care related bills Plan. Under this plan the state of Vermont would raise the introduced in state legislatures across the country. Issues needed money to pay for all individual Vermont tracked include scope of practice for nurses, including hospital budgets with money placed into a Vermont Presort Standard Hospital Security Trust Fund. H.304 would ensure US Postage advanced practice nurses, as well as related professions PAID (pharmacists) and allied health persons (EMTs); expansion that all Vermonters would get a hospital coverage Permit #14 in roles of unlicensed assistive personnel; workplace/ benefit, which could be, for example, financed by a Princeton, MN environmental issues including but not limited to the combination of a 5.5 percent payroll tax along with a 55371 presence and use of chemicals & other hazards; staffing; $225 annual fee paid by all Vermonters under the age mandatory overtime; safe patient handling and movement; of 65. In return, Vermonters and businesses would and workplace violence. The ANA sends out alerts about see a 40 percent reduction in their current premium impending important health care legislation to presidents costs (40 percent represents how much insurance and executive directors to enlist the support within each companies pay for hospital care in Vermont). Each constituent member association. hospital would negotiate an annual budget. It is not Our VSNA Lobbyist, Margaret Luce, MSN continues clear what combination of taxes and/or fees would to be our eyes/ears at the Vermont Statehouse. Margaret’s President’s Letter cont. on pg. 3 constant surveillance of Vermont’s political scene is • PAGE 2 • VERMONT NURSE CONNECTION MAY, JUNE, JULY 2008 Deadlines for the Vermont Nurse Connection The VSNA wants you to take advantage of some of the networking and informational Vermont Nurse Connection Are you interested in contributing an article to an resources available on the Internet. Official publication of the Vermont State Nurses’ Association. Published quarterly. Library subscription price upcoming issue of the Vermont Nurse Connection? If so, Current information about activities of the here is a list of submission deadlines for the next 2 issues: is $18 per year. ISSN# 1529-4609. VSNA can be found by visiting the Editorial Offices Vol. 11 #3—May 27, 2008 VSNA Website at: www.vsna-inc.org Vermont State Nurses’ Association, 100 Dorset Street, Vol. 11 #4—August 25, 2008 Requests for additions or changes to the #13, South Burlington, VT 05403, PH: (802) 651-8886, FAX VSNA website should be communicated before (802) 651-8998, E-mail: [email protected] Articles may be sent to the editors of the Vermont Nurse Editors: Jean E. Graham and Eileen Girling Connection at: the 1st of each month to the site’s webmaster at [email protected]. Advertising Vermont State Nurses’ Association For information and rates on ads, please contact the Attention: VNC Also, as a VSNA member you are welcome Arthur L. Davis Agency, P.O. Box 216, Cedar Falls, IA 50613. 100 Dorset Street, Suite 13 to join the VSNA listserv. To become a listserv PH. (319) 277-2414 or (800) 626-4081, FAX (319) 277-4055, South Burlington, VT 05403-6241 E-mail: [email protected]. participant, send an e-mail message to the Vermont State Nurses’ Association and the Arthur L. Davis VSNA offi ce at [email protected]. In your Agency reserve the right to reject advertising. Acceptance Articles may also be submitted electronically to of advertising does not imply endorsement or approval [email protected] . message, please indicate that you wish to be part by the Vermont State Nurses’ Association of the product of the listserv and include your name, e-mail advertised, the advertisers or the claims made. Rejection of address, and your VSNA member number.