Front Line

Front Line
Member Newsletter of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association
w w w . p s na.org
Highligh ts
Politics of Medicine
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Member News
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In Memoriam
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New Members
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PA Action Coalition
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PSNA-PAC
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CDC Alert
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www.psna.org/events
May 2014
The B a d P ol i t i c s o f G o od M e d i c i n e
By Betsy M. Snook, MEd, RN, BSN, PSNA Chief Executive Officer
When the political lobbying voice for some of the Commonwealth’s physicians recently wrote editorials declaring its surprising challenge to simple, commonsense
legislation cutting red tape for nurse practitioners, they got it wrong.
Antiquated reforms that do not promote a modern, team-based approach between physicians and other healthcare professionals is one reason for the growing confidence deficit in healthcare delivery for patients and families. Senate Bill
1063 is a bipartisan plan to eliminate a clumsy, paper laden mandate requiring
a nurse practitioner sign a legal and financial agreement with a physician before
being able to practice to the full scope of his/her professional education and
licensure.
At the heart of the claim by the physicians lobby is a charge that nurse practitioners working without physician supervision and oversight would result in an
unsafe environment for patients. I suspect most physicians don’t really believe
this claim, given the good working relationship between the professions, and it
is certainly not grounded in fact. The truth is that more than 100 studies have
concluded that the work of nurse practitioners is equal or better to the health outcomes from physicians - at a considerably lower cost.
05/31
Consent to Serve Due
06/10
District 4 Brunch
06/14
District 2 Meeting
09/10
Congress
09/26
District 6 Meeting
11/18
District 6 Meeting
Zeroing out unnecessary paperwork is long overdue and a necessary patientfocused improvement. Patients can feel confident that they are receiving high
quality care from nurse practitioners. This unfortunate campaign by the physicians
lobby creates fear not rooted in reality. Their approach hurts patients.
“Front Line”
The urgent need to assure our patients that the care they receive from nurse
practitioners is both safe and the health outcomes are equal to or better than that
of our physician colleagues should be the overarching issue in this unnecessary
debate. The experience of professionals in 17 other states who have made this
change offers positive proof that when physicians and nurse practitioners coordinate care, the people we serve are safer and the outcomes better for all.
PSNA
3605 Vartan Way, Ste 204
Harrisburg, PA 17110
P 717.657.1222
F 717.657.3796
[email protected]
We envision healthcare environments where our physician colleagues stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with nurse practitioners to offer the highest quality care and
offsetting the widely reported shortage of primary care physicians throughout the
Pennsylvania. Reforming a tired system is a good thing.
It’s time for the physicians lobby to reconsider. Let’s cut the red tape and give
nurse practitioners the professional freedom they have earned, and our patients a
more accessible health care system.
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M embers Making New s
Sister Louise Grundish has earned Lifetime Membership with PSNA. We applaud her more than 55-year com-
mitment to the profession!
Ann L. O’Sullivan, PhD, FAAN, CRNP, board member of the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing, will be
recognized by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc. (NCSBN) for dedication and exceptional
membership during the NCSBN Annual Meeting and Delegate Assembly in Chicago this August. Dr. O’Sullivan
will receive the Exceptional Contribution Award, which is given for significant contribution by a board of nursing
(BON) staff member.
I n Memoriam
S
usan H. Grassman, retired York College Department of Nursing assistant professor and former Pennsylvania Nurses Association (PNA) education director, passed away on Sunday, May 18, 2014. For many years, she
took great pride in being actively involved and volunteering time with the local division of the American Red
Cross.
Lucille A. Thoman passed away on March 6, 2014. Lucille was a nurse by training and worked in many differ-
ent specialties in a career that spanned more than 40 years including work at the Pennsylvania Nurses Association (PNA). She was especially proud of her advanced nurse practitioner accreditation and MS degree from
Millersville (PA) State University.
PSNA District members and leaders attended the Nurses Week showing of The American Nurse documentary
in Selinsgrove
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Welcome New Memb e r s !
Gayle Armington-Hollis
District 01
Sherry Ayler
District 15
Elizabeth Ann Boczar
District 01
Mary Brahler
District 02
Gwendolyn Brown
District 06
Mary Bruno
District 25
Cristina Campaner
District 02
Violet Cannon
District 01
April Coder
District 27
Ashley Cohen
District 25
Denise Colbert
District 06
Suzanne Colilla
District 06
Dawn Cooney
District 01
Julie Dabour
District 02
Colleen Daisley
District 09
Elizabeth Desimone
District 23
Helen Dunkle
District 02
Candice Dutko
District 03
Mandy Emmick
District 06
Patricia Faure
District 16
Amanda Fox
District 06
Wanda Frain
District 15
Patricia Fritz
District 25
Maria Gibson
District 16
Sunny G. Hallowell
District 01
Randee Halvorsen
District 25
Linda Hays
District 06
Valerie Howard
District 06
Kathleen Hutt
District 07
Margaret Iacobacci
District 01
Theresa Jinselli
District 01
Marion Jones
District 06
Patricia Karo
District 02
Robert Kirk
District 01
Tracee Kirkland
District 06
Carolyn Kreamer
District 16
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Diaane Lesher
District 15
Jessica Letendre
District 01
James Lukas
District 06
Virginia Mackell
District 01
Vickey Maxey
District 25
Elizabeth Mbaya
District 01
Patricia McCloskey
District 01
Elizabeth McKee
District 23
Tara McSparrin
District 06
Lindsey Morrison
District 01
Laura Nevola
District 06
Lisa Nolan
District 07
Patricia Obrien
District 01
Maureen Oneill
District 25
Cheryl Oster
District 03
Namrata Paudel
District 06
Cathleen Pietrzyk
District 06
Amanda Pozza
District 01
Shannon Revit
District 07
Tontalayia Robinson
District 06
Christine Robison
District 16
Patricia Salome
District 01
Lois Schertz
District 06
Susan Shoff
District 16
Noelle Stack
District 23
Kim Subasic
District 04
Darinda Sutton
District 06
Angela Thress
District 25
Laura Timcho
District 01
Kelly Tobin
District 02
Lynn Trabold
District 25
Cathy Upham
District 02
Regina Ward
District 01
Colleen Wonder
District 15
Fotoula Zacharatos
District 23
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P A Action Coalition S ta t e w i d e M e e ti n g
Step Up an d S te p I n : Y ou r R ol e i n th e F u tu r e of H e a l t h Care
April 3, 20 1 4 / G e i s i n g e r H e a l t h S y s t e m
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T hey Can Hear You N ow
On May 20, 2014, RNs represented by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association went to the polls. Every
PSNA-PAC endorsed candidate was victorious. This proves that they can hear you now.
Congratulations to the PSNA-PAC endorsed winners in the primary election.
Judy Ward, RN – R-80th (who will be the only RN in the State House)
Representative Mauree Gingrich – R-101st (prime sponsor of PSNA’s Safe Staffing legislation)
Representative Stanley Saylor – R-94th
Representative Karen Boback – R-117th
Representative Pamela DeLissio – D-194th
Representative Gerald Mullery – D-119th
Representative Brian Sims – D-172nd
Representative W. Curtis Thomas – D-181st
C DC:
M ERS Update
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) have developed a checklist and recommended
standards for health care providers to manage hospitalized patients with known or suspected Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
Standard, contact and airborne precautions are recommended for management of hospitalized patients
with known or suspected MERS-CoV infection, based
on CDC’s case definition for patient under investigation. Note that additional infection prevention precautions or considerations may be needed if a MERS-CoV
patient has other conditions or illnesses that warrant
specific measures (e.g., tuberculosis, Clostridium difficile, multi-drug resistant organisms).
Though these recommendations focus on the hospital
setting, the recommendations for personal protective
equipment (PPE), source control (i.e., placing a facemask on potentially infected patients when outside of
an airborne infection isolation room), and environmental infection control measures are applicable to any
healthcare setting.
Read more at http://1.usa.gov/1sATkDQ
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The PSNA-PAC
The Pennsylvania State Nurses
Association Political Action
Committee, PSNA-PAC, is a nonpartisan organization, funded by
members donations through which
PSNA-PAC can contribute to pronursing candidates for Pennsylvania
State House and State Senate.
PSNA-PAC is your voice in Harrisburg.
Add your voice her e .