| ANA House of Delegates Takes Historic
Steps
For Nurses, Union Organizing, and Patient Protection
MNA Delegation Drives Debate
The Massachusetts Nurses Association’s delegation
to the American Nurses Association House of Delegates was
a visible and vocal force in the debate over a number of key
issues addressed in one of the most historic gatherings of
the national federation.
A total of 44 elected MNA members served on
the delegation that joined delegations from 53 ANA-affiliated
state nurses associations at the annual House of Delegates
meeting held in Washington, D.C. from June 17 – 20. The House
of Delegates is the governing body for ANA, the national federation
of state nurses assocaitions where all decisions about ANA
policies and stances on issues.
Here is a summary of the highlights from this
year’s House of Delegates:
- Nursing Preference for Single Payer Health
Care System: After more than five years of lobbying and
advocacy by the MNA delegation, the ANA House this year
voted to support our Action Report calling upon ANA to endorse
a single-payer health care system as the best means of financing
our health care system. See accompanying story for more
information on this important victory.
- Creation of National Labor Entity: The
House voted to change ANA by-laws to create a new national
labor entity, Unitd Amercan Nurses, a compoment of ANA that
will provide national support to ANA members involved in
collective bargaining as well as those interested in organizing
for collective bargaining in their workplace through UAN
affiliated state nurses associations. The UAN would operate
as an insulated (delete this word) body within ANA and would
develop labor policies for the Association. A national labor
assembly composed of representatives from collective bargaining
programs would govern the UAN. The ANA House’s vote to form
the UAN preceded by a few days the historic announcement
by the AMA to form a national labor entity for the organizing
of physicians.
The MNA delegation had proposed an amendment on the floor
of the House that would have strengthened the entity by
assuring funding and giving the UAN greater autonomy and
legal insulation from challenges from anti-union tactics,
Unfortunately the amendment failed. Under the new UAN bylaw,
participation in the UAN by individual states is voluntary.
The MNA Cabinet for Labor Relations will take up the issue
of participating in the UAN at its annual business meeting,
to be held during our annual convention in October.
- Engineering Controls to Prevent Needlestick
Injury and Exposure to Blood Borne Diseases: This action
report, submitted by the ANA Board of Directors, calls for
OSHA to implement and enforce a requirement for health care
employees to: facilitate involvement of at-risk health care
workers in the evaluation, selection and implementation
of devises that utilize engineering controls to prevent
needlestick injuries and provide training to healthcare
workers regarding the use of these devices. It also would
urge institutions and agencies to look beyond group purchasing
organizations to update engineering controls" available
through the marketplace. And finally, urge regulatory and
accrediting agencies to implement occupational safety and
health standards requiring engineering controls to prevent
needlestick injuries to health care workers.
When it came time to recommend this action
report for the House’s support, it was MNA President Karen
Daley, herself the victim of a needlestick injury, that went
to the microphone to introduce the motion. Karen was joined
at the microphone by the Presidents of all the state nurses
associations. She received a standing ovation from the entire
delegation and the motion passed with a nearly unanimous vote.
- Medication Waste in Long Term Care Facilities:
This action report was brought by the MNA and passed by
a wide margin. It calls upon the ANA to research the problem
of medication wastes in long term care facilities including
the impact of fiscal, regulatory and reimbursement policies;
develop a policy statement and template to assist the SNAs
in preventing and decreasing medication waste in long term
care facilities; and advocate for changes, including but
not limited to, federal regulatory changes required to reduce
medication waste in long term care facilities.
- Latex Allergy Position Statement: The MNA
brought an Action Report to the House calling for the updating
and revision of the current ANA position statement on latex
allergy prevention. Upon review prior to the House of Delegates,
it was decided that it what was not necessary to change
the position statement by this method. Instead, a committee
of nurses from throughout the country will be convened to
update the position statement.
- Sufficiency of Nursing Care: The MNA brought
an Action Report calling upon ANA to compile and disseminate
information on nurse staffing including sufficiency statements,
model contract language and model legislation for SNA utilization;
to develop a position statement (similar to the MNA statement)
that may be utilized by nurses nationally; and work with
federal regulatory bodies and national accrediting bodies
to establish standards consistent with these recommendations.
This action report also did not make it to the House for
a vote, as many of these activities are being already pursued
through existing work at the ANA.
- ANA Vision and 2000-20001 Priorities: MNA
delegates played a key role in drafting language to express
the ANA’s vision and priorities for the coming two years.
This included adopting an MNA drafted amendment that listed
among the core values in the ANA Visition Statement is,
"health care is a fundamental human right." This
was done to emphasize the national nursing community’s commitment
to put patients ahead of profits, and to treat health care
as an essential human service, not a market-driven business.
For a complete review of all activities undertaken
at the ANA House of Delegates, visit the ANA web site at www.nursingworld.org. |
