oregon nurses association

Healthcare Groups Put $1.6 Million on Board for Campaigns Since Fall

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The spending by doctors groups, nurses, hospitals, dentists and insurers helps underwrite legislators’ campaigns, as political action committees seek to influence legislation and the state budget in Oregon. Groups that gave less have had considerably less clout in Salem.

Oregon’s leading healthcare organizations spent liberally during the election season and its aftermath, with just 12 groups topping $1.6 million in spending since Sept. 1.

By: 
Chris Gray and Jen Kruse

Oregon Nurses Association Intends to Beef Up Hospital Staffing Laws

ONA Director Susan King tells legislators that some hospitals are not taking their nurse staffing committees seriously, and the Oregon Health Authority is not adequately auditing the hospitals for compliance. The state nurses union wants mandatory five-year audits and binding recommendations from the committees.

A year ago, cuts to the emergency department at her hospital meant that just two nurses would be on the job during the overnight hours. An expanded behavioral health unit brought greater mental health resources, but without the staffing to keep up with the workload, said registered nurse Virginia Smith

By: 
Chris Gray

Carl Brown Named to Prestigious National Cancer Policy Forum

Carl G. Brown, PhD, RN, AOCN®, FAAN, has been appointed to represent the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) on the Institute of Medicine ( IOM) National Cancer Policy Forum. The Forum is charged with enhancing mutual understanding of key cancer policy issues among the scientific community, cancer organizations, federal agencies and the general public. Its convening activities promote discussions about potential opportunities for action.

By: 
Oregon Nurses Association

Nurse Practitioners Gain Right to Dispense Prescription Drugs

The Lund Report
Senate Bill 8 has passed both chambers unanimously, granting all nurse practitioners the right to dispense prescription medications.

 

June 4, 2013 — Patients who see a nurse practitioner for their primary care needs may not have to visit a pharmacy to get their prescriptions filled under legislation that passed the House unanimously on Monday.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Nurse Practitioners and Chiropractors Want More Workers’ Comp Patients

The Lund Report
Senate Bill 533 awaits only a House vote to become law, expanding the length of time that a nurse practitioner can see an injured worker and giving workers access to their preferred chiropractor.

 

May 2, 2013 -- People who suffer an injury on the job will get better access to a nurse practitioner or their favored chiropractor under a Senate bill that should become law.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Planned Parenthood Wants Pregnancy Centers to Display Their Services

The Lund Report
Similar measures to require anti-abortion counseling centers to display signs have run afoul of the First Amendment and have been struck down by federal courts. SB 490 would require centers to display signs that they have no medical staff and do not offer prenatal care, contraceptives or abortions.

 

April 3, 2013 — Planned Parenthood is pushing Senate Bill 490, which would require crisis pregnancy centers to declare upfront in signs whether they offer abortion, contraceptive or adoption services and if patients will receive services from a medical provider.

By: 
Christopher David Gray

Healthcare Workers, Public Health Officials Push for Paid Sick Days

The Lund Report
Workers not granted leave time to care for themselves or their children – and a lack of sick days causes high turnover in workplaces

December 13, 2012 -- Last week, Jennifer Bevacqua, a pediatric nurse practitioner at Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emmanuel Medical Center, treated a boy who was a year and a half old and had what Bevacqua described as eye motion issues, which can indicate a brain tumor. After being informed that he’d need an emergency MRI, his grandmother – who was the boy's primary caregiver and had taken him to the hospital – called her boss to ask if she could stay with her grandson while he received the care he needed.

By: 
Christen McCurdy

Data on Healthcare Violence Remains Out of Reach

The Lund Report
Statistics say healthcare workers are twice as likely to be victims of workplace violence, but employers are exempt from OSHA reporting requirements, and can keep info on training and safety plans under wraps

June 7, 2012 -- Two weeks ago, community health worker Jennifer Warren was stabbed to death in the St. Helens home of Brent K. Redd Jr., who was receiving services from Columbia County Community Mental Health (CCMH), Warren's employer.

Redd had been released from Oregon State Hospital under supervision by the Psychiatric Security Review Board.

By: 
Christen McCurdy

Nurse Practitioners Seek Payment Parity from Insurers

The Lund Report
But legislators are unlikely to take action because of the strong lobbying efforts by insurance companies

November 29, 2011—The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) is trying to convince legislators that insurance companies should pay nurse practitioners the same amount as primary care physicians for the same services.

But the association’s president, Susan King, said its efforts are being stonewalled by some insurance carriers. After meeting with representatives from five insurers over the past few months, the information they’re sharing about their reimbursement policies is opaque, at best.

By: 
Amanda Waldroupe

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