(SALEM, Ore.) – Oregon Governor Kate Brown has signed House Bill 2103 into law to expand Oregonians’ access to reproductive health care services and allow qualified nurse practitioners to perform vasectomies. Currently, patients in Oregon can wait as long as three months for a vasectomy.
“While many Americans’ reproductive health options are being scaled back, Oregon is taking common sense steps to protect and expand our patients’ access to high-quality care,” said Rachel Prusak, FNP. “This law will help reduce wait times for patients in rural and urban areas and increase Oregonians’ access to this safe and effective procedure.”
Oregon is the third state in the country to authorize nurse practitioners to perform vasectomies. Nurse practitioners in Washington state and Alaska have successfully performed the procedure for more than 20 years.
The Oregon State Board of Nursing—the state’s regulatory agency for nursing practice—has established that nurse practitioners who have proper education and training are fully capable of performing vasectomies. In fact, Oregon’s nurse practitioners regularly perform many complex patient procedures including bone marrow aspiration, chest tube placements and lumbar punctures, along with urology procedures like ultrasound-guided prostate biopsies.
“Oregon’s nurse practitioners have a 40-year track record of providing outstanding independent health care for our patients. We’re proud to continue that tradition and keep working to reduce health disparities and help more people access the care they choose.” said Diane Solomon PhD, PMHNP-BC, CNM.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) represents more than 450 NPs and 14,000 registered nurses throughout the state. Nurse Practitioners of Oregon (NPO) is an interest group within ONA. ONA advocates for advancements in nursing, quality health care, and healthy communities. For more information visitwww.OregonRN.org or www.nursepractitionersoforegon.org.
