(State House, Boston) – State Representative Christine Canavan, RN, BSN (D-Brockton) testified today in front of the Joint Committee on Public Health speaking in favor of H. 1469, An Act Relative to Patient Safety. As a member of the Public Health Committee, Representative Canavan voiced her advocacy for many of the bills on the day’s agenda, but focused primarily on H. 1469—a bill in which she has spent the majority of her time in the legislature fighting to get passed.
“I am so pleased to have been able to testify in front of my colleagues on the Joint Committee on Public Health,” said Representative Canavan. “I am happy to have the chance to stand with my fellow nurses and continue this fight. I hope to see H. 1469 favorably released and successfully moved through the House and Senate.”
This measure – a priority for Representative Canavan that she has championed for well over 10 years – seeks to address the shortage of bedside nurses, curb the frequency of hospital acquired infections, and increase overall patient care throughout the Commonwealth.
Specifically, it includes:
• A provision requiring the Department of Public Health (DPH), using well respected scientific data and testimony, to create nurse standards that ensure a safe nurse to patient ratio. These standards would be designed to provide hospitals with appropriate flexibility that is based on the unit a nurse may work in (i.e Emergency Room, ICU, Surgical, etc) and the needs of the individual patients.
• Language prohibiting hospitals from forcing nurses into mandatory overtime.
• Funding for refresher programs to attract Registered Nurses not working in the field back to bedside nursing.
• Incentives for education and nurse recruitment, including a mentoring program for new Registered Nurses, the creation of a scholarship and student-loan repayment program to make nursing education more affordable.
• Language that specifically prevents the reduction of support services, including LPN’s, aides, and technicians, as well as other hospital ancillary staff.
• Flexible phase-in times for hospitals to comply with regulations set forward by this bill.
• A waiver process for hospitals in financial distress to comply with the law.
