Dear WING USA Friends,
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), healthcare workers have the highest rate of MSDs in the country, more than seven times the national MSD average for all occupations!
It is reported that 12% of nurses are lost to back injuries.
Losing valuable nurses, nurse assistants, and other healthcare workers to preventable disabling injuries should be recognized as a public health crisis!
Skip straight to the bottom below, for info on locating and calling your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor HR 2381, Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009, to halt the epidemic of injuries to healthcare workers, and to patients and residents, caused by manual patient lifting.
Best to all…Anne
WING USA Update August 23, 2009:
“CHAPS” to Capitol Hill for Passage of HR 2381
Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009
On July 23, 2009, ten representatives of the Coalition for Healthcare Worker and Patient Safety (“CHAPS”) met with a number of U.S. Representatives and their staff in Washington, DC, in support of HR 2381, the Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009. If passed, the Act would require an occupational safety and health standard mandating that all healthcare employers use modern patient-lifting equipment, instead of the backs of healthcare workers, for the safe lifting and moving of dependent patients and residents throughout hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, home health agencies, hospice, and other healthcare facilities across the U.S.A.
HR 2381 states, “The safe patient handling and injury prevention standard shall require the use of engineering controls to perform lifting, transferring, and repositioning of patients and the elimination of manual lifting of patients by direct-care registered nurses and all other health care workers, through the use of mechanical devices to the greatest degree feasible except where the use of safe patient handling practices can be demonstrated to compromise patient care.”
If enacted, an OSHA standard would require all health care employers “…to develop and implement a safe patient handling and injury prevention plan within six months of the date of promulgation of the final standard, which plan shall include hazard identification, risk assessments, and control measures in relation to patient care duties and patient handling [and] each health care employer to purchase, use, maintain, and have accessible an adequate number of safe lift mechanical devices.”
CHAPS to Capitol Hill
CHAPS visiting Capitol Hill in support of this crucial legislation included Marsha Medlin, RN, founder of the Coalition for Healthcare Worker and Patient Safety (CHAPS); Anne Hudson, RN, BSN, founder of Work Injured Nurses’ Group USA (WING USA); Susan Epstein, RN, BSN, Work Injured Nurses’ Group Connecticut (WING CT) State Leader; Bill Borwegen, MPH, Health and Safety Director, Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Walter Frederickson, RN, Executive Director, United American Nurses (UAN, AFL-CIO); Jay Witter, MPA, Senior Government Relations Representative, United American Nurses (UAN, AFL-CIO); Sara Markle-Elder, Government Relations Specialist, United American Nurses (UAN, AFL-CIO); Elizabeth Shogren, RN, BS, Health and Safety Specialist, Minnesota Nurses Association (MNNA); Donna Zankowski, RN, COHN, Government Affairs Committee, Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP); and, importantly, Erin Zrncic, senior nursing student, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, who represented the next generation of nurses who must be protected from disabling musculoskeletal injuries caused by manual patient lifting.
Members of the broad-based coalition came from Washington, DC, and from states around the country, including Connecticut, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Oregon. The CHAPS met early for breakfast in the Rayburn Building cafeteria, and then spent the day in scheduled appointments with members of Congress and/or their staff, as well as drop-in office visits to other members as time permitted during the busy day. Midday luncheon, hosted by United American Nurses, AFL-CIO, was held at the Capitol Hill Club, less than two blocks from the United States Capitol.
U.S. Representatives and/or their staff or offices visited by CHAPS included John Conyers, Jr. (D, MI-14), sponsor of HR 2381; Steve Cohen (D, TN-9); Peter DeFazio (D, OR-4); Raul Grijalva (D, AZ-7); Phil Hare (D, IL-17); Carolyn McCarthy (D, NY-4); Chris Murphy (D, CT-5); James Oberstar (D, MN-8); Jared Polis (D, CO-2); Joe Sestak (D, PA-7); Tim Walz (D, MN-1); Lynn Woolsey (D, CA-6); as well as other Representatives; and, also, the offices of Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN).
Discussion of the proposed legislation raised insightful questions by the members of Congress and their staff. Addressed were issues such as healthcare workers suffering the highest musculoskeletal work-injury rate in the country, primarily from manual patient and resident lifting, most of which could be prevented with safe lifting equipment; the cost of patient-lift equipment being recovered by savings on reduced injuries, as well as being covered by a provision in the bill for financial assistance for needy healthcare facilities; the loss of an estimated 12% of nurses annually to back pain and injuries caused by lifting patients and residents; the fact that HR 2381 is not related to the rescinded Ergonomics Standard, is not an attempt to revive the ergonomics issue, and is, in fact, not ergonomics at all, but stands alone as industry-specific legislation to remove exceedingly hazardous amounts of weight – amounts of weight not tolerated in blue-collar male-dominated industries – from the backs of (95% female) professional nurses and other healthcare workers; the absolute necessity of nurses and other healthcare workers being protected by their employers against back-breaking lifting in the home health setting as well as in any other healthcare setting, including discussion of readily-available portable equipment designed to be transported in and out of homes, and a pilot program in the state of Oregon patterned after successful programs for safe mechanical lifting already implemented in home healthcare settings in other countries; and, significantly, the urgency to protect patients and residents from needless pain and injuries caused by manual lifting and moving, such as bruising, skin tears, abrasions, dislocations, having tubes dislodged, and being dropped.
CHAPS Meeting with Congressman John Conyers, Jr, Sponsor of HR 2381
The highlight of CHAPS’ day on Capitol Hill was meeting with the sponsor of HR 2381, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (Democrat, Michigan District 14), and members of his staff including Cynthia Martin, Chief of Staff; Michael Darner, Esq., Legislative Counsel; Joel Segal, Legislative Assistant; and Maggie Littlewood, Staff Assistant/Junior Legislative Assistant.
Congressman John Conyers began with, “How many nurses get injured lifting patients?” “Too many!” he exclaimed, going on to say, “It’s time to get militant. Someone has to be held accountable for these injuries. All 535 members of Congress need to be held accountable.”
Photo: July 23, 2009, Washington, DC. Coalition for Healthcare Worker and Patient Safety (CHAPS) members met in the Congressional Library with Congressman John Conyers, Jr., sponsor of HR 2381 Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009. Left to right: Sara Markle-Elder, United American Nurses, AFL-CIO; Walt Frederickson, United American Nurses, AFL-CIO; Bill Borwegen, Service Employees International Union; Susan Epstein, Work Injured Nurses’ Group Connecticut State Leader; Donna Zankowski, Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare; Anne Hudson, founder of Work Injured Nurses’ Group USA; Elizabeth Shogren, Minnesota Nurses Association; Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Marsha Medlin, founder of Coalition for Healthcare Worker and Patient Safety; Erin Zrncic, senior nursing student, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; and Jay Witter, United American Nurses, AFL-CIO.
Healthcare Workers: Highest Rate, Seven Times National Average for Musculoskeletal Disorders!
CHAPS agrees that it is past time to take necessary legislative action to stop the epidemic of disabling injuries being allowed, essentially being required, to occur among healthcare workers throughout much of the U.S. healthcare industry which still requires the manual lifting of outrageous amounts of weight associated with patient and resident lifting, dubbed by this writer as “forced hazardous lifting.”
Per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) “Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses” dated October 16, 2007, “General medical and surgical hospitals reported more injuries and illnesses than any other industry in 2006.” There were 264,300 injuries and illnesses in hospitals, 127,500 in ambulatory health care services, and 121,100 in nursing care facilities, totaling 512,900 work-related injuries and illnesses, showing that “health care” is the riskiest industry for workers in the country!
This sad statement is substantiated by healthcare workers having the highest rate of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of all occupations in America. In 2007, registered nurses suffered 8,580 reported and accepted musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) requiring days away from work, the seventh highest number of MSDs in the country, while nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants suffered 24,340 MSDs, the second highest number, and, at 252 MSDs per 10,000 workers, the highest rate of MSDs, more than seven times the national MSD average for all occupations (www.bls.gov).
Note that the horrific work injury rate to healthcare workers includes only reported and accepted claims. With an estimated 50% of work injury going unreported, if the true numbers were known, it could not be disputed that healthcare worker injury caused by manual patient and resident lifting is an absolute public health crisis.
HR 2381 is Not Ergonomics!
To answer the question of some: The Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009 is not ergonomics! There is no relationship between HR 2381 and the rescinded Ergonomics Standard – they are not the same!
HR 2381 stands alone as industry specific legislation designed to remove enormous amounts of weight from the backs of nurses and other healthcare workers which are not permitted in any other industry, and which cause healthcare workers to suffer the highest rate of disabling work injury in America!
No Other Industry Requires Lifting Such Outrageous Loads
No other industry requires workers to repeatedly lean forward, often many times per hour, placing the spine in its most vulnerable position, and lift by hand 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 pounds and more! This is a recipe for disastrous disabling injuries, the “perfect storm” for back injury to healthcare workers! This writer has stated before that if a researcher wanted to create back injury, it could be done by having subjects lean forward and lift dangerous amounts of weight.
Dock workers do not often gather a team around a 400 pound craft and lift. Mechanics do not often gather a team to lift an engine out of a car. Other industries use equipment designed to lift the load such as forklifts, hoists, etc. A similar reasonable approach should prevail in the American healthcare industry, with the routine use of modern patient-lifting equipment designed to safely lift the most precious load, the human body.
The Revised National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Lifting Equation has yielded 35 pounds as the maximum recommended weight limit for safety with most patient handling tasks, and even less than 35 pounds when performed under less than ideal circumstances! (Thomas R Waters, PhD, CPE. “When Is It Safe to Manually Lift a Patient?” August 2007. American Journal of Nursing 2007; 107(8):53-58.)
The evidence indicates that injuries suffered by nurses and other healthcare workers from being forced into outrageous lifting are not “accidents” but are more or less deliberately planned and executed events caused by lifting excessive weights repeatedly proven to cause injury! This is not new information. Though the evidence on the absolute danger of manual patient lifting has been mounting for decades, much of the American healthcare system still treats nurses, nurse assistants, and other healthcare workers as disposable, using them as human lifting machines until “broken,” until they can lift no more, and then discarding them.
It is past time for implementation of an Occupational and Safety Health Standard to stop “health care” employers from permanently damaging the bodies of nurses, nurse assistants, and other healthcare workers by making them exceed all known safety weight limits for lifting. With many kinds of safe, injury-preventing, patient-lifting equipment available now for many years, it is a mystery why the nursing community has not been more assertive in demanding a halt to the devastating injuries and loss of nursing personnel caused by “forced hazardous lifting.”
Safe Patient Handling Protects Patients and Residents
From Bill Borwegan, Health and Safety Director, Service Employees International Union: “HR 2381, the Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009, is not ergonomics legislation!HR 2381 is timely as it dovetails with healthcare reform legislation and would make our healthcare system safer byfirst and foremost protecting patients from drops and skin tears – skin tears that lead to infections – part of the 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths from hospital acquired infections each year.”
Safe patient handling–no manual lifting for healthcare. Safer for nursing staff. Safer for patients and residents. Saves money for employers and insurance companies. A win-win-win, given the political will to implement.
President Obama Supports “Safe Lift” to Protect Nurses
From Obama’s campaign statement “Barack Obama: Fighting for America’s Nurses” http://obama.3cdn.net/cd0502c534526b43f0_wpgxmv5te.pdf:
“Implement Assistive Patient Handling Technology to Improve Nurse Safety: Six of the top ten occupations at highest risk for back injuries are in health care, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nurses are at high risk for sustaining back injuries, which are most likely to occur when moving a patient. Barack Obama believes it is critically important to implement ‘safe lift’ and other assistive technologies to protect nurses from preventable injury. Barack Obama will expand and accelerate research to identify novel and innovative technologies and determine which are the most effective for various medical settings. He will also provide federal financial and technical assistance to hospitals, nursing and long-term care facilities to employ effective assistive technologies and will direct the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to implement meaningful standards that protect nurses from injury related to patient care.”
CHAPS motto adopted: “Save Backs, Save Bucks”
During discussion of research demonstrating great reductions in back injuries to nurses and other healthcare workers by the use of safe patient-lifting equipment, and of tremendous cost savings for employers and insurance companies with injury prevention, the phrase “Save Backs, Save Bucks” was coined by Cynthia Martin, Chief of Staff for Congressman Conyers.
Agreeing that “Save Backs, Save Bucks” incorporates principal goals of preventing injuries and preserving financial resources, members of CHAPS agreed on adopting “Save Backs, Save Bucks” as a CHAPS motto.
Co-Sponsors of HR 2381
Following CHAPS’ day on Capitol Hill, two more Representatives have co-sponsored the Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009, for a total of seven co-sponsors, as of July 28, 2009. It is reported that at least two more Representatives have pledged to co-sponsor upon return from Summer Recess next month in September. The current list of co-sponsors is provided by date, from
HR 2381 Sponsor: Rep. John Conyers (D, MI-14) introduced on May 13, 2009.
Co-sponsors, as of July 29, 2009:
Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey (D, CA-6), May 13, 2009, original co-sponsor
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D, NY-4), July 7, 2009
Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D, AZ-7), July 15, 2009
Rep. Phil Hare (D, IL-17), July 15, 2009
Rep. Steve Cohen (D, TN-9), July 20, 2009
Rep. James L. Oberstar (D, MN-8), July 27, 2009
Rep. Joes Sestak (D, PA-7), July 28, 2009
Links to Text, History, and Status of HR 2381
HR 2381 was referred to the following committees:
House Education and Labor
House Energy and Commerce
House Ways and Means
The PDF of HR 2381 published by the Government Printing Office is at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h2381ih.txt.pdf.
Links to the text, history, and status of HR 2381:
http://www.house.gov/
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c111query.html
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2381.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h2381/show:
Broad base of support for HR 2381
Key organizations working with CHAPS for passage of HR 2381, and other organizations which have expressed support of HR 2381, include:
Founder of CHAPS, Marsha Medlin, RN, Safe Lifting Solutions
Work Injured Nurses’ Group USA (WING USA)
National Network of Career Nursing Assistants (NNCNA)
United American Nurses (UAN, AFL-CIO)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Minnesota Nurses Association (MNNA)
National Organizations for Women (NOW)
American Association for Long Term Care Nursing (AALTCN)
Oregon Nurses Association (ONA)
Alaska Nurses Association (AaNA)
American Nurses Association (ANA)
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of Government Employees
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
California Nurses Association/NNOC
Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
RNs Working Together, AFL-CIO
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
United Steelworkers
A letter of support by the American Association for Long Term Care Nursing states, “The American Association for Long Term Care Nursing (AALTCN) supports the Work Injured Nurses Group (WING USA) and the newly formed ‘Coalition for Healthcare Worker and Patient Safety’ (CHAPS) in their efforts to protect Nurses and Health Care Workers across the continuum of health care.”
On June 2, 2009, a letter from American Nurses Association to Representative John Conyers stated, in part:
“ANA strongly supports your introduction of H.R. 2381: The Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009…ANA was pleased that all health care workers, not just direct-care registered nurses, would be protected under this standard…ANA has been on record as supporting the use of an Occupational Health and Safety Standard (OSHA) for safe patient handling and movement – versus promoting voluntary guidelines.”
ANA’s letter goes on to relate back injuries from lifting to the nurse shortage, compounded by an aging nurse workforce, retention issues, etc, and additionally emphasizes cost-savings and the benefit to patients:
“[HR 2381] will also improve the safety of patient care delivery while reducing work-related health care costs. It is important to emphasize the benefits of a safe patient handling and movement program for patients. The potential for patient injury (such as falls and skin tears) as a consequence of a manual handling mishap is reduced by using assistive equipment and devices. Equipment and devices provide a more secure process for lifting, transferring or repositioning patients. Patients are afforded a safer means to progress through their care, have less anxiety, are more comfortable and maintain their dignity and privacy. Assistive patient-handling equipment can be selected to match a patient’s ability to assist in his or her own movement, thereby promoting patient autonomy and rehabilitation.
“ANA believes that the nation – now facing a serious nursing shortage – can no longer afford the estimated 12 percent of RNs who leave the profession annually due to back injuries. The ANA looks forward to working with you to support the enactment of this important legislation.”
You can read Anne Hudson’s story of spinal injury and loss of bedside nursing career from lifting patients in ANA’s “Handle With Care” brochure at ANA Handle With Care Brochure PDF and can access the toolkit for incorporating evidence-based patient handling into a nursing school curriculum at Safe Patient Handling and Movement Nursing School Curriculum Toolkit [pdf].
National Organization for Women Action Alert on HR 2381
Male healthcare workers suffer injuries from lifting patients and residents at an equivalent rate as their female co-workers. In fact, some have observed that male healthcare workers may be more at risk of injury due to being called on more often for assistance with lifting. Still, with some 95% of healthcare workers being women, it is, by the numbers, primarily women suffering the devastating musculoskeletal injuries caused by manually lifting patients and residents.
Noting that most blue-collar male-dominated industries protect workers from lifting hazardous amounts of weight, Anne Hudson, RN, founder of Work Injured Nurses’ Group USA, reached out to the National Organization for Women (N.O.W.) which pledged support of HR 2381, as announced in a recent Inside OSHA article:
“N.O.W. recently said it will endorse the bill [HR 2381] and is preparing an action alert on the topic. In an e-mail to Inside OSHA, N.O.W. President Terry O’Neill said it is time for the country to install patient lifting equipment in health care institutions, as has already been done in other countries to reduce injuries in health care workers.
“’It is inexcusable that our health care industry has failed to take common sense initiatives to protect nurses and health care workers who must frequently move and lift patients,’ she said. ‘With the current shortage of nurses, skilled health care professionals in this country, we cannot afford to lose these good workers to back, neck and spinal injuries.’” (“Safe Patient Handling Bill Gains Momentum with Aid of New Coalition.” Sara Ditta. Inside OSHA. August 3, 2009. http://healthpolicynewsstand.com/hns_spcl_subj.asp?subj=election06&start=53370.)
Unions Seek Co-Sponsors for Safe Patient Handling Legislation
The following letter seeking co-sponsors for HR 2381 was sent July 21, 2009, to every member of the House of Representatives, signed by the AFL-CIO and 11 other unions. Similar wording may be used for contacting the U.S. Representative for your District, in asking him or her to co-sponsor the bill.
Help Protect Millions of Nurses and Patients — Support Safe Patient Handling Legislation – Cosponsor H.R. 2381
Dear Representative:
On behalf of patients and health care workers from cross the county, we strongly urge you to cosponsor the “Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009’’ (H.R. 2381), introduced by Representative John Conyers. This important legislation would require the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) to develop and implement a standard that will eliminate, to the greatest degree feasible based on technological and medical considerations, manual lifting of patients by direct-care registered nurses and other health care workers through the use of mechanical devices.
Thousands of nurses and other health care providers are being injured every year because they are forced to manually lift patients. Direct-care registered nurses rank tenth among all occupations for getting musculoskeletal disorders, getting injured at a higher rate than laborers, movers, and truck drivers.In 2007, Direct-care registered nurses ranked seventh among all occupations for the number of cases of musculoskeletal disorders resulting in days away from work – 8,580 total cases. Nursing aides, orderlies and attendants sustained 24,340 musculoskeletal disorders in 2007, the second highest number of any occupation. The leading cause of these injuries in health care are the result of patient lifting, transferring, and repositioning injuries. The physical demands of the nursing profession lead many nurses to leave the profession. Fifty-two percent of nurses complain of chronic back pain and 38 percent suffer from pain severe enough to require leave from work. Many nurses suffering back injury do not return to work.
Patients are not at optimum levels of safety while being lifted, transferred, or repositioned manually. Mechanical lift programs can reduce skin tears suffered by patients by threefold, allowing patients a safer means to progress through their care. The development of assistive patient handling equipment and devices has essentially rendered the act of strict manual patient handling unnecessary as a function of nursing care. Application of assistive patient handling technology improves nursing practice by addressing the needs of patients and staff. A growing number of health care facilities have incorporated patient handling technology and have reported positive results. Injuries among nursing staff have dramatically declined since implementing patient handling equipment and devices. As a result, the number of lost work days secondary to injury and staff turnover has declined. Cost-benefit analyses have also shown that assistive patient handling technology successfully reduces workers’ compensation costs for musculoskeletal disorders.
To address this critical problem, Congressman John Conyers, along with Representative Lynn Woolsey as an original cosponsor, has introduced the “Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009’’ (H.R. 2381). This legislation would require OSHA to develop and implement a standard that will eliminate, to the greatest degree feasible based on technological and medical considerations, manual lifting of patients by direct-care registered nurses and other health care workers through the use of mechanical devices. The legislation will also require health care facilities to develop a plan to comply with the standard (with input from healthcare workers), provides protection for health care workers through refusal of assignment and whistleblower provisions, and requires the Secretary to perform audits.
Once again, we strongly urge you to cosponsor H.R. 2381, which will protect millions of patients and health care workers. Thank you for your attention to this important issue.
Sincerely,
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of Government Employees
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
California Nurses Association/NNOC
Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
RNs Working Together, AFL-CIO
Service Employees International Union, CTW
United American Nurses, AFL-CIO
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
United Steelworkers
Co-sponsors Needed for Passage of HR 2381!
The problem of injury from manual patient and resident lifting, and the solution by removal of hazardous lifting from the backs of healthcare workers with use of safe lifting equipment, are well-documented. Now is the time to implement the proven solution with a national mandate for use of safe patient-lifting equipment, across all settings, wherever dependent persons require assistance from healthcare workers with lifting and moving needs.
Some organizations are taking up the call to stop the injuries by issuing “Action Alerts,” asking their membership to call the Representative for their District, asking him or her to co-sponsor HR 2381, Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009.
HR 2381 currently has seven co-sponsors out of 535 members of Congress (435 Representatives, 100 Senators). Many, many more co-sponsors are needed to move HR 2381 forward! You can help!
If your organization has not issued an “Action Alert to Call Your Representative to Co-sponsor HR 2381,” provide this information to your organization, to get out to their membership.
Visit, call, and write your U.S. Representative. Ask him or her to co-sponsor HR 2381, Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2009, to protect healthcare workers and patients and residents from preventable injuries caused by manual lifting.
Locate and Call the U.S. Representative for Your District to Co-Sponsor!
Locate your U.S. Representative toll free: Call 1-877-702-0976. Select “2” for Representatives. The automated line will locate the Representative for your District by your phone number and address, and will connect you to your Representative’s office.
Or, call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 1-202-224-3121 and ask for your Representative.
To find the U.S. Representative for your district online, go to http://www.house.gov/. Enter your zip code in the “Find Your Representative by Zip” box at the top left of the screen. It will take you to a link with contact info for the Representative for your District.
For links to contact info for all of the U.S. Representatives for your state, go to http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml.
Each completed call asking your Representative to co-sponsor HR 2381 represents many others who are thinking about calling, but just have not made the call, so every call counts! Sometimes it takes only a few calls to help your Representative decide to co-sponsor.
Plan to call every week, asking them to co-sponsor, or thanking them for co-sponsoring, and reminding them of your support. Simple phone calls are very important in helping the bill move forward, to protect healthcare workers and patients and residents from the preventable, devastating, injuries caused by manual lifting.
More Information about CHAPS
For more info about CHAPS, or to be added to the CHAPS email list, contact the founder of CHAPS, Marsha Medlin, RN, at mmedlin498@aol.com
