MASSACHUSETTS NURSE NEWSLETTER :: March 2008

				Rep. Jennifer Callahan

The Joint Committee on Public Health voted on Feb. 19 to give a favorable report to H.2052 "An Act Relating to Safe Patient Handling in Certain Health Facilities," sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Callahan (D-Sutton).

The draft Massachusetts bill requires all health care facilities, including but not limited to acute care hospitals, psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes, to develop and implement safe patient handling policies and to identify, assess, and develop strategies to control risk of injury to patients and health care workers associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a patient or equipment. It regulates the implementation of policies and establishes credits for the costs associated with implementing a safe handling program.

"This favorable vote is of enormous significance for me on a number of levels," said Callahan. "Originally, I filed this legislation from the perspective of being both a nursing professional and legislator who has a strong desire to improve the quality and safety of care in hospitals for patients and providers alike. As a staff nurse, I witnessed many colleagues prematurely leaving the profession because of chronic back pain and musculoskeletal injury caused by years of repetitive body trauma induced by lifting, moving and transferring patients on a daily basis. More recently, my critically ill father’s safety was compromised as he was dropped to a hospital floor by a nursing assistant who unsafely attempted to transfer him without professional assistance and by not utilizing proper lifting techniques."

Other states have already made safe patient handling a priority. In New Jersey, Gov. Jon Corzine signed into law on Jan. 3, a bill that requires health care facilities to establish guidelines for the safe handling of patients.

That law requires New Jersey’s hospitals, nursing homes, developmental centers and psychiatric hospitals to establish and implement safe patient handling programs to help protect patients and staff from injury. Very similar in its requirements to the Massachusetts legislation, New Jersey facilities have 12 months to establish a safe patient handling committee which will, in turn, be responsible for the development, implementation, evaluation and possible revision of the safe patient handling program. The evaluation will include annual assessments of patient handling equipment, including electric beds, hoists used to lift patients and bathing assistance devices.

			Region 1 members speak with Rep. John Scibak (D-South Hadley) about H.2059, the Patient Safety Act, during the Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council Legislative Breakfast held on Feb. 1. From left, Jacob Wayne, Irene Patch, Chris Folsom, Sherry Ferrier, Rep. Scibak and Patty Healey.

Membership of each committee will consist of health care employees and others trained in safe patient handling procedures. The safe patient handling program will be established for all units and shifts of each facility, and will take into account patients’ physical and mental conditions.

At least nine states have enacted legislation for or related to safe patient handling: Minnesota, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Ohio and New York. California legislators have passed the legislation four years in a row but Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed the legislation each year.

"With other states already passing similar legislation, I strongly believe the cost of inaction in Massachusetts is far too great for patients and nurses alike to be personally incurring," said Rep. Callahan.

MNA urges nurses to contact their legislators to ask that the H.2052 be voted favorably by the House. For more information, contact Mary Crotty, mcrotty@mnarn.org (781.830.5743) or MaryAnne McHugh, mmchugh@mnarn.org (781.830.5713).