The Alaska Nurse - Vol. 59 No. 3 - August 2009

The Official Publication of the Alaska Nurses Association Circulation 7,700 to every Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse and Student Nurse in Alaska

Volume 59 • No. 3

August 2009

AaNA - Major Organizational Changes Brewing

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Lead Exposure in Alaska

EPHP Announces Two New Projects to Protect Children

by Rachel Kossover MPH, RD The Environmental Public Health Program (EPHP), located within the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology and featured in the February 2009 edition of the Alaska Nurse, is currently engaged in several lead screening activities that may affect nurses working in public health, pediatrics, or family medicine settings in Alaska. These activities include routine surveillance and provision of lead screening materials to practice settings that see children enrolled in Head Start programs.

Additionally, EPHP will be conducting lead testing sweeps in communities that may be

vulnerable to lead exposure, as well as working to increase capacity of communities to routinely screen children for blood lead by providing training on a fingerstick method of lead testing to health care providers in Alaska.

Children aged 6 years and younger are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of lead exposure, which are long-lasting.

Prolonged lead exposure can cause intellectual and behavioral deficits in children, and cardiovascular, central nervous, renal, reproductive, and hematologic system damage in adults. Even low levels of lead exposure have been associated with lowered intelligence

Health Care Reform Commentary

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Pflaum Assumes New Role at UAA

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Lead Exposure in Alaska continued on page 5

H1N1 INFLUENZA: Another Perspective

by LeMay Hupp, ANAS Coordinator Many nurses have voiced their concern and frustration with the “over-response” to the H1N1 (Swine) Flu virus. Comments in regard to expense and the amount of personnel devoted to this illness have some shaking their heads. I would like to share a few facts and comments from my perspective.

LeMay Hupp

As many of you are aware: • Influenza pandemics can range in severity, specifically the “case fatality ratio” of which H1N1 has, so far, been relatively low.

• Pandemic severity may also change over time and will differ across regions of the world, in different countries and even within different communities within a

country.

• CDC developed the U.S. Pandemic Severity Index (PSI) to describe the severity of a pandemic in terms of illness and death and is based on the case-fatality ratio.

• The PSI scale ranges from Category 1 to 5 and is comparable to the U.S. hurricane severity index. Category 1 is the least severe (similar to a severe annual influenza season) and Category 5 is the most severe (20-40% illness rate, similar to 1918 Flu outbreak).

At the current time, CDC estimates that the pandemic situation in the U.S. would be equivalent to a pandemic severity index of 2. This would be most similar to the 1957 influenza pandemic.

The US Government has organized an “aggressive response” to this pandemic and according to CDC it is “uncertain how the current situation will evolve over the coming months so it’s not possible to make a predication about deaths at this time”. Their goals regarding this new virus: 1. Reduce transmission and illness severity

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2. Provide information for health care providers, public health officials and the public 3. Continue to study the specific aspects of H1N1 4. Vaccine manufacturing process As of this writing, (July 2009) the World Health Organization reports there are almost 95,000 lab confirmed cases of this new virus and 429 deaths worldwide. If this virus continues to have a low lethality rate we can all be very thankful. I have watched our state emergency response and public health personnel in action, and have developed even greater respect. Their planning and actions have kept us all well informed and ready to respond should the situation become more serious. My hope, as with many others, is that this virus remains mild in its virulence even as the actual number of cases continues to rise. This new virus has truly H1N1 Influenza continued on page 8

Inside This Issue Membership Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Message from AaNA President and Executive Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

AaNA Award Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Health Care Reform Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Alaska Nurse Alert System Volunteer Form . . . . 9

News Flashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Nurses in the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Jackie Pflaum Assumes New Role at UAA . . . . . . 6

Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The AaNA Vision Empowering Alaska nurses to be dynamic leaders, powerful in both the health care and political communities.

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August 2009

Author Guidelines for the Alaska Nurse The editorial committee welcomes original articles for publication. Preference is given to nursing and health related topics in Alaska.

Authors are not required to be members of the Alaska Nurses Association.

Format and Submission Articles should be Word documents in 10 or 12 point font, single or double spaced.

There is currently no limit on the length of the article. Include the title of the article and headings if applicable. Author’s name should be placed after the title with credentials, organization/and or employer and contact information. Authors must identify potential conflicts of interest, whether of financial or other nature and identify any commercial affiliation if applicable.

All references should be listed at the end of the article. Pictures in black and white or color are encouraged and may be sent

as a jpg. file, as an email attachment or on disc. Photographs sent to the Alaska Nurse will become property of the AaNA. We hope that we will be sent copies, not originals and prefer emailed files. Photos should be provided with a caption and photo credit info and be high resolution. Be sure to spell check, grammar check and second check the article, any website addresses, references or phone numbers. It is recommended you have a colleague review your article before submission.

Prepare the article as a WORD document and attach it to an email to editor@aknurse. org. If you do not have WORD, try pasting the text of the article directly into the body of the email. You may also mail the article on disc to Editor, AK Nurse, Alaska Nurses Association, 3701 East Tudor Road Ste 208, Anchorage, AK 99507. If you have any questions email the Editor, Lynn Hartz at lhartz@alaska.com.

Materials may not be reproduced without written permission from the Editor. Views stated may not necessarily represent those of the Alaska Nurses Association.

Editor: Lynn E. Hartz, MSN, FNP lhartz@alaska.com AaNA Board of Directors President: Nancy C. Davis, MSN, RN Vice President: Paul Mordini, RN Secretary: Diana Robinson, RN Treasurer: Donna Phillips, BSN, RN Directors: Labor Council (designee): Susan Walsh, RN Greater Alaska Director: Shelley Burlison, RN Staff Nurse Director: Kathleen A. Gettys, BSN, BA, RN Rural Director: Jennifer Straight, RN Director at Large: Carolyn S. Adkins, MS, RN Shirley LaForge, RN Joe Peacott, RN Pat Senner, MS, RN, ANP

Message from AaNA President and Executive Director AaNA—Major Organizational Changes Brewing

AaNA Labor Council Chair—Donna Phillips, BSN, RN Vice-Chair—Mary Stackhouse, RN Secretary—Karen Friedl, MSN, RN Treasurer—Megan Orien, RN Directors—Joshua Meals, BSN, RN Directors—Kathleen Gettys, BSN, BA, RN PAMC BU Rep.—Cindy Price, RN Soldotna BU Rep.—Velinda Albrechta-East, RN Ketchikan BU Rep.—Susan Walsh, RN UAN Delegate—Joshua Meals, BSN, RN

CHANGE IS CONSTANT…..

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way . . .”

Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities As we write to meet the deadline for this publication, it is July 13, 2009 and our mind goes back and forth thinking of how to tell you about the issues facing the Alaska Nurses Association (AaNA). We realize that although the AaNA is the largest nursing organization in the state, a relatively small percentage of you actually belongs to the Association. Nevertheless, this paper comes to you as a courtesy from the dues-paying members of the AaNA and what impacts it has some impact on you. In the last edition, we said there were challenges and opportunities ahead for AaNA. Today, nothing could be more true. We hope for your trust and therefore your understanding. We wonder where to start—but as they say, it is a long story so we will just start at the beginning.

In June 2008, the American Nurses Association (ANA) House of Delegates debated by-law changes to eliminate the ANA’s designation as a “labor organization,” a change that was deferred until the 2010 House of Delegates. However, on July 1, 2008, the ANA and the United American Nurses (UAN) did not renew their affiliate agreement, severing a previous connection between the two national organizations. Our Alaska Nurses Association has been a successfully blended organization for nurses, serving as the collective bargaining agent for nurses in a variety of workplaces through an agreement with UAN, and as a unified voice for Alaska nurses through our participation as a “Constituent Member Association” of ANA. As long as the ANA and UAN were organizationally connected, we all became members of ANA and AaNA through a single dues payment.

Our collective bargaining members were also represented by AaNA; supported through our agreement with UAN. Changes in By-Laws at the AaNA General Assembly in October 2008 provided more flexibility in membership categories in anticipation of negotiating a State-only membership contract with ANA; cleared up organizational agreement language; and improved our Association’s voting procedures. The membership at the General Assembly gave the Board of Directors a clear message to put Alaska nurses first as we continued our problem solving with ANA. There was clear

An official publication of the Alaska Nurses Association, 3701 East Tudor Rd., Ste. 208, Anchorage, AK 99507. Tel: 907/274-0827. Web site: www.aknurse.org. Published quarterly.

Nancy Davis, AaNA President with Thompson, Executive Director.

Debbie

direction to stay united for Alaska nurses and not to split our state association into labor and nonlabor factions.

The ANA and UAN “disconnect” created a number of issues for AaNA as a blended association. The Board determined that collective bargaining dues needed to be processed directly to AaNA rather than a portion being split to the ANA. The change in dues processing began in January 2009, offering an opportunity for collective bargaining members to send additional dues for ANA membership. The very real effect of this opportunity was that less than 20 of the 750 collective bargaining members of AaNA chose to voluntarily join the ANA by sending the additional dues. The majority in effect became “AaNA only” members.

Discussions with ANA at the October 2008 and May 2009 Constituent Member Assemblies with all the state presidents and Executive Directors, left AaNA hopeful of an interim arrangement for Alaska to exercise a “State-only” membership option while we continued to work to resolve the dilemmas presented by the disconnect of ANA and UAN at the national level. Telephone conferences with Rebecca Patton, ANA President, and other ANA personnel continued as we sought a solution that maintained a viable Alaska Nurses Association that remained a valued Constituent Member Association of the ANA. The ANA Board ultimately rejected our request for an agreement for the State-only membership option. There are 27 other states that have been granted the State-only membership option over the past years. Illinois and Alaska are the most recent states to request this option and both have been denied. Illinois and Alaska are both blended state associations with labor and non-labor members, facing similar membership issues following the ANA and UAN disconnect.

Therefore, since January, 2009, when the majority of our collective bargaining members did Major Organizational Changes Brewing continued on page 5

Affiliate Organizations: Alaska Chapter of the American College of Nurse Midwives Alaska Home Health and Hospice Association Alaska Nurse Anesthetists Association Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association Alaska School Nurses Association Forensic Nurses Association, Alaska Chapter Executive Director: Debbie Thompson, BSN, RN, CNOR Advertising Rates Contact—Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc., 517 Washington St., P.O. Box 216, Cedar Falls, IA 50613, 800-626-4081, sales@aldpub.com. AaNA and the Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc. reserve the right to reject any advertisement. Responsibility for errors in advertising is limited to corrections in the next issue or refund of price of advertisement.

August 2009

Health Care Reform Commentary

[Editor’s note: The following is taken from a letter sent to the Alaskan congressional delegation in June 2009 and is reprinted with the permission of the author. It is difficult to know where this legislation will be, if anywhere, by the time of publication. But we guarantee that if it has not passed the issue will be back!]

To Our Honorable Senators and Congressman, I am writing to express my opinion on health care reform.

I am a certified nurse-midwife and certified nurse practitioner, however, the views expressed herein are strictly my own and represent none other than myself. That being said, please be aware that I know a lot of people, I talk a lot, I frequently Laura Sarcone share my political opinions, and I plan to circulate the text of this letter widely.

I believe any legislation to reform our health care system must contain a public or government sponsored option. I find claims by the insurance industry and the American Medical Association that such an option is “socialized medicine” and the government trying to “take over” health care ridiculous on its face. Those claims, in my opinion, are nothing more than industry and big business trying to control the marketplace and limit competition. I further believe that a government option should be funded by taxing employer provided health benefits.

As a licensed health care provider I hold two jobs: one as a self-employed, independent contractor; the other as an intermittent/per diem

employee. I receive no employer provided benefits in either job: no paid vacation; no paid sick leave; no paid continuing education; no tax-free cost of living allowance; no paid health, life, disability, or malpractice insurance; no pension or employer contribution to a retirement plan of any sort. On my income as a contractor I pay an additional 15.3% in self-employment tax. I know the cost of both health insurance premiums and health care services from a consumer’s perspective. I am not alone in this type of job situation. There are thousands of self employed, benefit-less people like me in this country who know the real cost of health care.

I also know the cost of doing business from a provider’s perspective. I know the burdensome nature of coding and billing insurance companies for services provided. I know how difficult it can be to get paid for services provided. I know how burdensome my patients find their health insurance policies; how difficult it is for them to decipher the small print gibberish in their benefits booklets. There are times when it seems that insurance companies exist only to find loopholes and reasons to deny claims, not to help patients or improve health.

The cost of health care is an albatross around the neck of our economy. Major reform is needed now. I urge you to stand up for change that helps the people of this country, not pseudo-change that merely perpetuates corporate self-interest and greed.

Thank you for allowing me to express my opinion and taking the time to read my letter.

Laura L. Sarcone, CNM, ANP Anchorage

Alaska Nurse • Page 3

Go to aknurse.org For online CE Nursing News Alaska Nurse: on the web Alaska nursing links

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August 2009

News Flashes California Board of Registered Nurses in the News in July

by Cathy Giessel MSN, ANP, Alaska BON Chairperson Recent news articles report an issue in California related to nurses, with significant criminal conduct, who continue to be in practice. The reports allege a lack of corrective measures by the California Board of Registered Nurses (BRN). (See the story at http://www. l a t i m e s . c o m / n e w s / l o c a l / l a - m e - n u r s e12 2009jul12,0,2185588.story) The California governor responded by removing three members of the BRN; another board member resigned. The governor refilled 6 positions on the 9-member board.

The purpose of this article is to very briefly describe the discipline process, that is contained in Alaska law, for the Board of Nursing.

The vast majority of Alaska’s nurse licensees practice professionally and ethically, providing outstanding, quality care.

The Alaska Board of Nursing diligently administers the discipline process, for the purpose of protecting our Alaska public. In balance, the Board bears in mind the fair, due process for licensees. The goal is to appropriately

remediate licensees, for ultimate success, which is measured in maintained or restored safe nursing practice.

The Alaska Board participates in the national license verification database, known as NURSYS. State and national criminal background checks are completed on all new license applicants.

The complaint process can be initiated by a consumer, another healthcare professional or a healthcare facility. When a complaint is received, it goes immediately to an investigator, who researches and determines the validity of the allegation. The vast majority of complaints do not rise to the level of a violation of the Nurse Practice Act, and the complaint goes no further.

Complaints that result in investigations are managed expeditiously, to preserve public safety and the nurse’s practice.

The Alaska Board of Nursing continues to work with other states to ensure a safe, competent nursing workforce in our state and nation.

More information can be found at www. nursing.alaska.gov

Alaska Education Board Makes Rule Change At Fairbanks Meeting Re. ANPS The State Board of Education and Early Development met June 11-12, 2009 in Fairbanks. The Board approved a new regulation that allows advanced nurse practitioners authorized to practice in Alaska in pediatrics, family health or family psychiatric/mental health, to diagnose autism in children for the purpose of establishing a student’s eligibility for special education. [source newsminer.com 6/22/09]

UAA May Student Awards— Late but not forgotten Due to publishing deadlines we were unable to publish the special awards given to the May 2009 nursing graduates in the last issue of the Alaska Nurse. The Spirit of Nursing Award is determined by faculty vote for the student who best demonstrates the spirit of caring, science, love of learning and compassion. The Peer Award is determined by class vote for the colleague who best personifies the definition of nursing to them.

The Directors Award is given for the highest GPA. Our sincere congratulations to the following graduates: AAS Program Spirit of Nursing—Donny Lee Peer Award—Raquel Osterbauer Directors Award—Sherrie Soltice BS Program Spirit of Nursing—Chelsea Johnson Peer Award—Yvonne Bay Directors Award—Megan Kemp

2009 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Celebration November 20th Anchorage Sheraton Hotel at 6:00pm It is time to prepare for nominating nurses for this prestigious award. You know who the best of the best are, so please don’t pass up this opportunity to stand up and nominate the Nurse of the Year. For nomination forms or tickets go to www.marchofdimes.com/alaska For a nomination form please, email Janie Odgers, State Director jodgers@marchofdimes. com or call now 276-4111.

August 2009

Alaska Nurse • Page 5

Major Organizational Changes Brewing continued from page 2

Lead Exposure in Alaska continued from page 1

not choose to join ANA, at the Board’s direction, AaNA no longer collected the ANA dues that ANA expected from those members. ANA has deemed AaNA out of compliance with our responsibilities as a Constituent Member Association (CMA). ANA notified AaNA of disciplinary actions, which are primarily financial but also affect the number of delegates Alaska may have at the 2010 House of Delegates. At the same time, the Board of AaNA determined that AaNA could no longer meet the qualifications and responsibilities of a CMA, and asked for response from ANA as to how our 254 Alaska members of ANA will be represented. The Board of AaNA took a stand that we must be an association responsive to our total membership.

So here we are in July, 2009, and we have not yet received a response from ANA. We do not know what the next step is with ANA. What we do know is this: Alaska nurses have a viable Alaska Nurses Association, that provides a professional membership opportunity for all registered nurses, that is active in support and leadership for legislation that affects nurses, that researches professional practice issues affecting all nurses in our state, that provides collective bargaining services to nurses and health workers across the state, and celebrates the critical role nurses have across the wide spectrum of health care. AaNA stands up for nurses and the nursing profession.

We value all our members, our six affiliate nursing organizations, and those nurses who are not yet members.

We will continue as a unified voice for all nurses in Alaska and stand ready to work for you and our profession. We also stand ready to be an advocate for the American Nurses Association in their efforts to promote nursing and health reform, whether we are a CMA or not.

We are hopeful for a future where division and separation are not the chosen paths within our professional organizations, and where we all see the importance of a unified voice, strong, flexible and nimble just as nurses must be, to make a difference. We encourage all of you to actively support and participate in your professional nursing organization the Alaska Nurses Association. Nursing needs your voice, your support, your ideas, and your dreams. Together we stand and divided we begin to fracture and lose ground, respect and influence. This is not the vision that the AaNA has for any of the nurses in Alaska. We invite each of you to come join with us, to stand TOGETHER IN UNITY to be Relevant.

Effective. Influential. Strong. Powerful.

quotient scores in children and other adverse neurological effects to the developing brain.

Alaska law requires health care providers and laboratories to report blood lead levels (BLLs) 10 µg/dL (micrograms of lead per deciliter blood) and higher, and reporting of all blood lead test results is highly encouraged. For reported blood lead levels, follow-up investigations are conducted by the EPHP lead surveillance coordinator for children aged 17 years and younger when the initial BLL is 10 µg/dL or higher, and for adults when the initial BLL is 25 µg/dL or higher, based on Centers for Disease Control and Preventiondefined levels of concern for these age groups. For occupational exposures, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires follow-up when BLLs exceed 40 µg/dL. How might children living in Alaska come into contact with lead? Many sources of potential concern are documented in various Alaska Section of Epidemiology Bulletins published from 20062008. These sources include lead-based paint on toys, other lead-tainted products such as artificial turf, use of indoor firing ranges, lead-based paint in older buildings, and casting of lead bullets and fishing weights. Adults who come into contact with lead at work (commonly in the mining, demolition, or automotive repair occupations) or through hobbies may also bring lead dust into the home, where young children might become exposed. In 2006, bendable toys contaminated with lead paint were distributed to children participating in library-sponsored summer reading programs nationwide. Approximately 72 Alaska libraries received about 2,400 of the toys, and one Alaskan child was documented to have an elevated BLL after chewing on one of the toys.

The true scope of the risk posed by imported toys with lead-based paint is unknown in Alaska, as children living in Alaska are not universally screened for lead.

The decision to test a child’s BLL is best made by the child’s parents and health care provider, taking into consideration the child’s exposure risk factors. Interested parents should discuss blood lead testing during their child’s physical exam.

Additionally, if a child is enrolled in a Head Start program in Alaska, the child might need to be screened for lead due to program requirements.

Consequently, nurses and other providers who work closely with Head Start programs to provide well-child checks to Head Start enrollees might be asked to help provide lead screening.

Typically, blood lead testing is conducted through a venopuncture, which can be a challenge in very young children. It is now possible to test for lead using a finger stick test. The testing protocol, which uses a finger stick to collect a capillary blood sample in a multivette tube, was piloted and evaluated in the Fall of 2008 by EPHP and the Alaska State Public Health Laboratory. EPHP continues to make lead testing materials available to health care providers interested in offering lead screening to Medicaid-eligible children; testing for these children is provided by the Alaska State Public Health Laboratory.

In addition to routine surveillance and provision of testing materials, EPHP will soon begin two projects aimed at protecting children from lead exposures. The first project is conducting lead

The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

-Winston Churchill If you have questions regarding this article and the changes that are occurring at the national as well as state level; questions about membership in the Alaska Nurses Association or want to just join the AaNA we encourage you to contact either of us at the listed information below.

Executive Director Debbie Thompson Debbie@aknurse.org (c) 907-441-9726

President Nancy Davis davisn_rn@yahoo.com (c) 907-321-2981

Fill the area between the arrows for a 100 μL sample.

➞ ➞

The picture in the second square shows the multivette being used to collect capillary blood.

A sample that reaches from the bottom of the tube to the lowest line on the tube, as shown by the arrows, will be 100 μL in volume. testing sweeps in communities that may be vulnerable to lead exposure. In particular, EPHP is interested in reaching communities with less than 2,500 residents, communities located near Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) that could have lead contamination, coastal villages where marine lead-based paint might have been used, villages with “high risk” open dump sites, and communities relying heavily upon subsistence.

Recent studies have shown that wild game shot with lead ammunition (including large game shot with bullets) can be a source of lead exposure to people who consume it. EPHP welcomes input from nurses on which communities to target for lead testing sweeps.

The second project is focused on increasing the capacity of communities to routinely screen children for blood lead by providing training on a finger stick method of lead testing to health care providers in Alaska. As part of this project, current finger stick training materials will be revised. EPHP anticipates holding focus groups with health care providers to help design and evaluate new training materials. Those providers working in public health, pediatrics, or family medicine settings may be eligible to participate.

To offer input on communities to target for lead screening or to learn more about training opportunities for health care providers, please contact Rachel Kossover , Public Health Prevention Specialist, EPHP at (907) 269-8054 or at rachel. kossover@alaska.gov.

More information on the EPHP program can be obtained at their website: http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/eh/default.stm

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August 2009

Nurses in the News Kristen Woods, RN, has been named administrator of Primrose Retirement Community of Wasilla. She oversees the nursing, maintenance, marketing, and administrative staff and ensures that the retirement community meets the residents’ needs. Woods has worked in the medical field since 1996 and graduated from the University of Anchorage Alaska in 2006. [source: Anchorage Daily News 6/8/09]

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Lynn Hartz Recipient of the 2009 Tina DeLapp/ Theta Omicron Professional Excellence Award

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Alaska ANP Authors Research Donna E. Zeznock MSN, ANP, CWOCN, CURN was first author on a research article titled “Living with Urinary Incontinence: Experiences of Women from the ‘Last Frontier.’”

Fredricka Gilje and Christine Bradway were second and third authors of the research featured in the national journal, Urologic Nursing May-June 2009, Vol Donna Zeznock 29, No.3. Urologic Nursing is the official journal of the Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates, a professional organization committed to excellence in clinical practice and research.

Lynn Hartz and Tina DeLapp Established in 1995, the Tina DeLapp/Theta Omicron award is designed to recognize a career of professional excellence. Such excellence has clearly been demonstrated by Ms. Hartz, who, as a nurse practitioner providing care to women in need of gynecological health care, was a 2005 recipient of the Nurse Practitioner Excellence Award by the North American Menopause Society.

Additionally, Ms. Hartz has shared her knowledge and expertise widely. Her work to

Jackie Pflaum Assumes New Role at UAA Associate Vice-Provost for Health Programs— that is the title and the job assumed by Dr. Jackie Pflaum on July 1, 2009. In her new role, she will provide additional leadership and support for a growing cadre of health programs at UAA, a major strategic priority for UAA and the statewide university system. UAA is expanding its biomedical and health research Jackie Pflaum program as well as health BSN, MS, DNSc professional education, and rural health education and outreach. Previously, Dr. Pflaum has served as Associate Director of the School of Nursing since 2003; she served as Interim Director of the School from 2004-2005, following the retirement of Dr. Tina DeLapp. Most recently she led nursing faculty in preparing for the School’s recent successful effort toward national reaccreditation of the three nursing programs offered (associate degree, baccalaureate, and graduate).

Dr. Pflaum brought extensive experience in Alaska to her new role in the Provost’s office. A member of the School of Nursing faculty since 1979, she had held a variety of leadership roles within the School, having previously served as Chair of both the graduate and baccalaureate programs and a teaching team coordinator. While primarily based on the main campus in Anchorage, for a year she taught courses in the baccalaureate outreach program located on the UAF campus in Fairbanks. She is also highly familiar with the operation of UAA and the statewide university system, having served as President of the UAA Faculty Senate and Chair of the UA Faculty Alliance as well as a member of numerous local and statewide governance committees.

In her role as Associate Director of the School of Nursing, Dr. Pflaum was responsible for securing over $6 million in grant funding to initiate and support the Alaska Health Education Center, which she will continue to oversee. Additionally, she successfully competed for $2.5 million dollars

to support workforce diversity projects within the School, including Project RRANN (Recruitment and Retention of Alaska Natives in Nursing) and Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD), a project designed to increase the number and proportion of nurses from educationally disadvantaged background and of ethnic minority students who are under-represented in Alaska’s nursing workforce. In her new role, she will continue to oversee those diversity initiatives.

A member of the Alaska Nurses Association since 1969 when she arrived in Alaska, Dr. Pflaum has been both President and Treasurer of that organization; she has also been an active member of the ANA Legislative Committee as well as numerous other committees. Her long-term leadership and service were recognized in 2003, when she was the recipient of the AaNA Service Award.

A former president of the Theta Omicron Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, Dr. Pflaum’s long career of leadership and service was recognized by that body, when she was the recipient of the 1998 DeLapp/Theta Omicron Professional Excellence Award.

Currently Dr. Pflaum is treasurer of the Alaska Nurses Foundation and of the Alaska Public Health Nursing History Association. Also a long term member of the Alaska and the American Public Health Association, Dr. Pflaum has also served as both Chairperson and Treasurer of the Alaska Health Care Coalition.

An active scholar, Dr. Pflaum is an acknowledge expert on the history of nursing in Alaska.

In addition to making numerous scholarly presentations across the country, she is a coauthor (with Effie Graham and Elfrida Nord) of With a Dauntless Spirit—Alaska Nursing in Dog-Team Days (available from the University of Alaska Press).

Given her wide experience in the Alaska health care scene, both in and out of nursing, it is clear that she has much to contribute to the achievement of UAA strategic priorities in health education programming.

examine the quality of colonoscopy services was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners while her research on women’s treatment decisions and adherence following colonoscopy appeared in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Ms. Hartz’ commitment to her profession has extended beyond her clinical practice. A past member of the Alaska Board of Nursing, Ms. Hartz used her expertise toward ensuring that the public good is served by a qualified and effective nursing workforce. She is also a past Director-at-Large of the Alaska Nurses Association and continues to play an active role in that body, serving as the long-time editor of the Alaska Nurse.

Excellence in practice, wide dissemination of her expertise, and leadership in the profession —all of these are characteristic of Ms. Hartz as a practicing nurse. Her career exemplifies the professional excellence that the Tina DeLapp/ Theta Omicron Professional Excellence Award was designed to recognize. Theta Omicron is a chapter of Sigma Theta Tau, the only international nursing honor society. Tina DeLapp, EdD is a Professor Emerita at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

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In what has become an annual event, Providence Imaging Center once again hosted it’s annual free Breast Cancer Screening for women who are either uninsured or underinsured. From May 11-15 through funds donated by Carrs /Safeway and volunteers of Providence Cancer Center and Providence Imaging Center, 180 women were screened with clinical breast exams and screening mammograms. Volunteer clinicians from the community provided the exams, and among them were three ANPs: Kelly Murphy, Heidi Hurliman and Lynn Hartz. Volunteer physicians included; Jean Persons, Judith Whitcomb, Beth Crow, Deborah Pohlman, James O’Malley, David Compton, Rae Stevenson and Barb Piromalli.

Providence intends to repeat the event next year so keep your ears open either to volunteer or as a good resource to refer patients in need.

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The Anchorage Assembly’s Community and Economic Development Committee appointed five community nurse leaders to join the CEDC Community Health Work Group. Jackie Pflaum DNSc from UAA, Pat Senner ANP from Covenant House, Wanda Katinszky MSW from Providence Cancer Center, Jeanne Wolf Public Health ret., Assemblywoman and Kathy Roberts from the Sheila Selkregg Senior Center. CEDC Chair, Sheila Selkregg anticipates that the work group will be action-oriented, focus on areas of consensus and define key information and recommendations for Assembly policies and actions.

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Anne Thrall, PhD, ANP, palliative care specialist at Providence Alaska Medical Center, gave the keynote presentation at the May Sigma Theta Tau,Theta Omicron Chapter Induction Ceremony.

Thrall spoke on the concept of Suffering.

Tw e n t y- s e v e n undergraduate and Theta Omicron President five graduate students Patricia Lynes-Hayes PhD, were inducted into the RN and Anne Thrall, ANP nursing honor society at the meeting.

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August 2009

Alaska Nurse • Page 7

Membership Application Advancing and Supporting the Profession of Nursing Integrity Professionalism ~ Advocacy Empowerment~ Representation

Membership Categories

Full Membership—Employed Full-time or Part-time Reduced Membership—Not Employed * EDPP is the monthly Electronic Dues Full time student Payment Plan Amount New graduate from basic Nursing Education program, within first six = Yearly dues/12 months after graduation (first year only), or months + $.50 per 62 years of age or over and not earning more than Social Security allows. month service charge Special Membership—Not employed and 62+ years or totally disabled

Dues

Anchorage Monthly (*EDPP) & Fairbanks Yearly

Full $28.00 $330.00

Reduced $14.25 $165.00

Special $7.38 $82.50

All Other Locations

$322.50 $27.38

$161.25 $13.94

$80.62 $7.21

Yearly Monthly (*EDPP)

______________________________________ Last Name/First Name/Middle Initial

_________________________________________________ Social Security Number

______________________________________ Street or PO Box City/State /Zip

_________________________________________________ Home Phone

______________________________________ Employer Name Unit City/State/Zip

_________________________________________________ Work Phone

____________________________ RN License Number/State

__________________________ FAX Number

__________________________ E-mail Address

Payment Method—see above for categories and amounts Apply Online at www.nursingworld.org—Join Today! Alaska!

Check—Please make checks payable to the American Nurses Association MasterCard or Visa—(available for annual payment only) ________________________ Card Number

Return application and payment to: AaNA 3701 E. Tudor, Suite 208, Anchorage, AK 99507

_____/_____ $_______ _______________________________ Expiration Amount Signature

Monthly Electronic Dues Payment Please (1) read and sign the below authorization form and (2) enclose a check for the first month.

1/12 of your yearly dues will be withdrawn from your checking account monthly along with a monthly service fee.

AUTHORIZATION to provide monthly electronic payments to the American Nurses Association (ANA): This is to authorize ANA to withdraw 1/12 of my annual dues and any additional service fees from my checking account designated by the enclosed check for the first month’s payment. ANA is authorized to change the amount by giving the undersigned thirty (30) days written notice. The undersigned may cancel this authorization upon receipt by ANA of written notification of termination twenty (20) days prior to the deduction date as designated above. ANA will charge a $5 fee for any return drafts. ________________________________________ Signature for EDPP Authorization

Return to: AaNA, 3701 E. Tudor, Suite 208, Anchorage, AK 99507 or fax (907) 272-0292 or e-mail aknurse@aknurse.org and tell us your selection.

Notice to AaNA Members If you have not been getting email updates and information from the Alaska Nurses Association, or if your address has changed and you are a member, please contact Donna Phillips at Donna@aknurse.org.

Integrity ~ Advocacy Professionalism Empowerment Representation

Share your Expertise!

Get Informed! >>check off and return form to AaNA

A Benefit of Membership: AaNA Member Name: __________________ E-mail: ________________________________ Informational E-mail ❏ Various Nursing Information—If you would like National, State and Local nursing information e-mails from AaNA on a weekly basis. ❏ Action Alerts—If you would like political action alerts for National and State legislative issues involving nursing and health care issues.

Taskforce E-mail Pools Taskforce E-mail Pool members will receive requests to work on a variety of projects on nursing issues, and may choose to participate in only the projects that interest them. ❏ Professional Nursing Practice Issues— Taskforces will consider issues relating to AaNA’s policy on RN practice and other professional issues. ❏ Health and Safety Issues—Taskforces will consider safety and health issues of nurses and patients. ❏ AaNA Event Planning—Taskforces will plan events such as the AaNA Fall Retreat, open house events, AaNA General Assembly, or other events for AaNA members. ❏ Other interest? Let us know what you would like to work on:______________ AaNA Committees ❏ Legislative Committee—Actively involved in reviewing and coordinating strategy and testimony for legislative issues related to health and nursing. Works closely with the AaNA Lobbyist. Usually meets on the second Monday of the month. Current Chair is Pat Senner. ❏ Conference Planning Team—Participates help plan the Alaska Statewide Nurses Conference. Roles include working with program planning, marketing, vendor and sponsor recruitment and onsite assistance. ❏ Continuing Education Committee—Members individually review applications for continuing education approval based on the established guidelines of the American Nurses Credentialing Center and in coordination with the CE Director. Makes recommendations for improvements in the application process. The current CE Director is Norma Monsen. ❏ Alaska Nurse Newsletter Editorial Board— Members work with the editor to recruit articles and pictures for the quarterly newsletter. The current editor is Lynn Hartz.

Page 8 • Alaska Nurse

August 2009

H1N1 Influenza continued from page 1 tested “pandemic influenza plans” and prompted some changes and further evaluation. This has, and continues to be, a valuable learning experience.

And finally, this influenza alert has enabled public health messages to go out in full force. As nurses, we all have a role in protecting ourselves, our families and stressing these basic principles to protect health and lessen the spread of this new virus.

- Cover nose and mouth with a tissue with a cough or sneeze and throw the tissue in the trash after use.

- Wash hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

- Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth.

- If someone is sick with a flu-like illness, encourage them to stay home for 7 days after symptoms begin or until symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer.

- Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.

- If not done yet, consider developing a family emergency plan as a precaution.

Stay informed. Visit http://www.pandemicflu. alaska.gov/ and www.cdc.gov for reliable and current information. See page 9 for Alaska Nurse Alert Volunteer Form.

AaNA Award Nominations Nominations are now being accepted for the 2009 Alaska Nursing Association (AaNA) nursing awards. The awards will be announced at the October 2009 Alaska Statewide Nursing Conference.

Start thinking of your colleagues who should be nominated. AaNA awards are an excellent way to recognize fellow nurses for their contributions to nursing and health care.

Deadline: October 2, 2009

Alaska Nurses Association Award Nomination Form 2009

Please select application you are submitting:  AaNA Service Award—Presented to an outstanding AaNA member who has made significant contributions to AaNA by promoting the purposes outlined in the AaNA bylaws: (a) Work for the improvement of health standards and the availability of health care services for all people, (b) Foster high quality standards of nursing, and (c) Stimulate and promote the professional development of nurses and advance their economic and general welfare. Nominees must be members of AaNA.  AaNA Excellence in Practice Award—Presented to a nurse selected by peers as an outstanding practitioner, currently doing excellent work in nursing. Nominees must be licensed RNs presently involved in nursing practice in Alaska.  AaNA Hall of Fame—Presented to, or on behalf of, exceptional AaNA members, either living or deceased, who have made exceptional contributions to nurses, the nursing profession or AaNA. 1.

Nominee Information (print or type): Name and Credentials ________________________________________________________________ Address, City, State and ZIP _ _________________________________________________________ Position and Title ____________________________________________________________________ Daytime Phone _ __________________________ Evening Phone __________________________

2. Narrative Summary (Please attach 1-2 pages in length) of the candidate’s:  Accomplishments and contributions that make them an outstanding nominee for the above category  Position and Title (give a brief description of duties, length of time in position)  A brief summary of the nominee’s career  Date of arrival in Alaska, and  Educational background.

3. Nominated By

Name and Credentials ________________________________________________________________

Title ____________________________ Daytime Phone _________________________________

Address, City and Zip_________________________________________________________________ Please return to AaNA Office by September 30, 2009 FAX (907)272-0292 – e-mail Debbie@aknurse.org 3701 E. Tudor, Suite 208, Anchorage, AK 99507

August 2009

Alaska Nurse • Page 9

Alaska Nurse Alert System VOLUNTEER FORM

Resources Alaska GRANT FUNDS AVAILABLE – October 1 deadline

(All ** items must be completed)

If you have a clinical project you’ve been dying to try or a CE course that you can’t quite afford to attend, the Alaska Nurses Foundation may provide a solution. Small grants are available to nurses who have a dream of piloting a project to improve practice or the profession, to assist with a continuing education expense, or to funds aspects of an approved research project.

Interested individuals can access the applications on the AaNA website (www.aknurse.org ; they are posted on the Alaska Nurses Foundation page. Applications are due (via e-mail) by October 1, 2009, with grant funds being awarded in December.

Last year’s grantee was Masayo Nishiyama, a public health nurse in Juneau. Seeking to increase utilization of well-child health services by Juneau families and to establish linkages between children’s families and needed community resources, she is currently conducting focus groups to identify barriers to utilization of resources and access to needed resources. She plans to pilot a number of interventions and anticipates that the results of her study will be available by the end of the year.

First Name ** Last Name ** RN License Number ** LPN License Number ** RN Area of Experience (Check all that apply) Pediatrics Medical / Surgical Orthopedics Emergency Room Nursing Admin School Nursing Home Health Public Health

OB / GYN Critical Care Nurse Educator Psych / Mental Health

RN Area of Certification (Check all that apply) Pediatrics Medical / Surgical Orthopedics Emergency Room Nursing Admin School Nursing Home Health Public Health

OB / GYN Critical Care Nurse Educator Psych / Mental Health

Do you have liability Insurance?

Yes No Email address **

Address **

City **

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ State ** Alaska

Zip Code **

Home Phone **

Work Phone

Cell Phone

Fax

Employer **

Position (Check One) Staff Nurse Nurse Administrator Nurse Practitioner

Public / Community Health Psychiatric / Mental Health Nursing Education

Work Routine (Check One) Full Time Part Time

Home Health School Nurse Other

Retired

Nurse Practitioner License Number **

Nurse Practitioner Area of Experience (Check all that apply) Pediatrics Medical / Surgical Orthopedics Emergency Room Nursing Admin School Nursing Home Health Public Health Nurse Practitioner Area of Certification (Check all that apply) Adult Adult Psych / Mental Adv. Diabetes Mgmt Child / Adolescent Psych Gerontological Family Psych Pediatric Public / Community

OB / GYN Critical Care Nurse Educator Psych / Mental Health

OB / GYN Family Nursing Administration Other

Other Certifications – Current (Check all that apply) CPR First Aid Wilderness Medicine ETT EMT FEMA Training ACLS PALS Other

Red Cross Disaster Red Cross Sheltering

Other Certifications – Past (Check all that apply) CPR First Aid Wilderness Medicine ETT EMT FEMA Training ACLS PALS Other

Red Cross Disaster Red Cross Sheltering

Language Fluency (Other than English)

Check all that apply Can travel up to 2 weeks

Can travel more than 2 weeks

Child care issues

Please check all levels of care for which you are currently skilled to provide.

1

Persons who are independent and capable of self-care requiring only minimal support for minor illness and injuries.

2

Persons with conditions requiring observation or minor supportive assistance in activities of daily living. Independent with some family/caretaker support.

3

Persons with conditions requiring some level of privacy or separation but do not require skilled or continuous health care from facility staff.

4

Persons requiring frequent or continuous surveillance for potentially life threatening conditions or requires bedding or bathroom facilities not available in the shelter.

5

Persons requiring skilled care, continuous observation, or special equipment and services usually found in a hospital.

All information will be kept confidential and will not be sold or released to a third party who is not an ANAS partner.

Return to: ANAS, 3701 E. Tudor Rd, #208, Anchorage, AK, 99507 or Fax: 272-0292

New Residency May Improve Retention of Nurses in Rural Facilities Idaho State University (ISU), in partnership with health organizations throughout the West and Northwest, has developed the Northwest Rural Nurse Residency (NWRNR) program.

Participants in the NWRNR receive all of their training (64-hours of seminars and a 104-hour supervised clinical experience) ‘at home’ in their own facilities and communities. Using new technologies like web-conferencing, telemedicine and high tech simulation make it possible for the program to be offered at no cost to participants.

The next sessions will be starting January 2010.

Applications are accepted on a first-come, firstserved basis, so apply today! To learn more about the NWRNR please call the ISU Office of Professional Development at (208) 282-2982, email at nurseopd@isu.edu or visit the NWRNR website at http://www.isu.edu/nursing/opd/nwrnr.shtml ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Certified Wound Specialist Certification for Nurses in Alaska The American Academy of Wound Management is a voluntary, not-for-profit organization established for the purpose of credentialing interdisciplinary practitioners in the field of wound management. The purpose of the American Academy of Wound Management is to establish and administer a certification process to elevate the standard of care across the continuum of wound management. The Academy is dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach in promoting prevention, care and treatment of acute and chronic wounds.

We certify nurses via examination under one of two certifications-Certified Wound Specialist® (CWS®) for BSNs and Certified Wound Care Associates® (CWCA®) for non-BSNs. In order to qualify for board certification by our organization, nurses must be fully licensed in the state of Alaska and posses at least three years of clinical wound care experience.

Full application details area available on our website, www.aawm.org. We offer the exam twice a year—April and October for the CWS and February and August for the CWCA. In Alaska, exams are offered in Anchorage, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Palmer, and Cordova. Arrangements can be made to take the exam in other parts of the state.

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Page 10 • Alaska Nurse

August 2009

Upcoming Events ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association’s 26th Annual Conference

September 24, 25, and 26th, 2009 Anchorage Downtown Marriott for further information please visit our website at www.alaskanp.org

ANPA GOING GREEN The Alaska Nurse Practitioner Association (ANPA) will demonstrate their concern for the global environment and become environmentally friendly by no longer providing registrants with paper materials at their annual conference. Power point slide presentations will be loaded on to USB ports and attendees will be encouraged to bring their laptops to the conference to take notes. The Anchorage Marriott has Wi-Fi capabilities. Early registration will be KEY to receiving this USB drive prior to the conference. Registration must be received on or before August 15 in order to receive your loaded USB drive prior to the conference. All registrations received after August 15 will receive their loaded USB drive at the conference.

BYOB Bring your own bag!

Gone are the days when conference bags were brimming with pharmaceutical giveaways.

In respect of our environment, attendees are requested to bring their own recycled conference bags this year. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative, innovative, decorated, ugliest, oldest and most environmentally friendly bag brought to the conference.

In these difficult financial times and with conference costs soaring, every effort has been made this year to continue to provide our ANPA members with the highest quality annual educational meeting.

If you have any further questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact Theresa Isaac, ANPA conference administrative assistant at: Theresa525ak@gmail.com

Sincerely, Margaret Barnett ANP President-Elect

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American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 2009 ANCC National Magnet Conference™, Magnet: Inspiring Innovation, Achieving Outcomes October 1-3, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky.

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The Fourth European Nursing Congress, Older Persons: The Future of Care, is to be held October 4-7, 2010, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The central theme is older persons as the future of care.

In this congress, nurses from all fields of health care, including homecare workers, general hospital staff, mental health professionals and carers for the mentally disabled, are invited to share their methods and their research findings with regard to care for older persons. You can Google for more information.

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American College of Nurse Practitioners National Clinical Conference October 7 - 11, 2009 Albuquerque, NM ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Sigma Theta TauNursing Honor Society 40th Biennial Convention 31 October - 4 November 2009 Indianapolis, Indiana ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Alaska State Board of Nursing Upcoming Meetings

October 21-23, 2009 Fairbanks agenda deadline October 1 January 20-21, 2010 Anchorage agenda deadline December 31 April 7-9, 2010 Juneau agenda deadline March 17 The Alaska Board of Nursing has a list-serve that is used to send out the latest information about upcoming meetings, agenda items, regulations being considered, and other topics of interest to nurses, employers and the public. To sign up for this free service, go to www.nursing. alaska.gov Choose the “Subscribe Now” box, just above Board Staff information.

Inquiries regarding meetings and appearing on the agenda can be directed to: Nancy Sanders, PhD RN, Executive Administrator Alaska State Board of Nursing 550 West 7th Ave, Ste 1500, Anchorage, AK 99501 Ph: 907-269-8161, fax 907-269-8196, email nancy.sanders@alaska.gov To attend by audio conference call 907-269-8161 for access number.

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The 2010 NDNQI conference theme is Rhythms in Quality.

January 20-22, 2010 Sheraton New Orleans Hotel New Orleans, Louisiana Conference topics include the Nursing Workforce; Electronic Health Records; Quality Improvement in Nursing Sensitive Hospital Acquired Conditions; NDNQI Data Use; and The Value of Nursing.

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American Cancer Society 25th Annual Wine and Food Fest January 23, 2010 Hotel Captain Cook, BE THERE! ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 25th National Conference for Nurse Practitioners June 23-27, 2010 Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

August 2009

Alaska Nurse • Page 11

Letters to the Editor If you are interested in writing a letter to the Alaska Nurse, we are interested in printing it! Do you have comments, opinions or questions about nursing and health care in Alaska? Send your letter via email to editor@aknurse.org. Letters should be limited to 500 words or less. They may be edited for length, clarity and grammar. Remember, the AK Nurse is published every three months so be careful about sending time sensitive material. Be sure to include your name and contact information.

Letter to the editor, I am writing to ask Alaska nurses for support on state and national patient safety legislation. As many of you know, the Alaska Nurses Association along with other nursing groups has been working hard to pass legislation that would limit the use of Mandatory Overtime for Registered Nurses (HB 50 & SB 12). Both bills will be in Donna Phillips the House and Senate Finance committees when the state legislature starts up again in January. Many states have already been able to protect patients by passing similar legislation or through regulation. It is my belief that nurses need to protect our patients from having care delivered by nurses who are just too tired to continue to give excellent quality care. I think that many times nurses think they can just keep on going, but it is the errors of omission, or missing changes in a patients’ condition that often will not get reported. Studies have shown what nurses have long been aware of, that we are human too. Errors will happen when we are too fatigued or experiencing low blood sugar to make sound judgment calls about our patients.

The nursing profession is not alone in being prone to increasing rates of errors with excessive work hours.

Studies in airline pilots and medical residents show similar problems. To help get this important Alaskan bill passed please contact myself at 830-5333 or the AaNA at 274-0827.

Nationally, we are fortunate that patient advocacy work continues. The United American Nurses, AFLCIO endorsed the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (S. 1031), a bill sponsored

by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to establish minimum RN-patient ratios that will protect patients and nurses in hospitals across America. We can be a part of the fight to win enforceable nurse-to patient ratios. Rep. Schakowsky (D-IL) is the sponsor of UAN-supported federal RN staffing ratio legislation, H.R. 2273, in the House of Representatives. Alaskan Representative Don Young is an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Numerous studies have shown—and every nurse at the bedside knows from personal experience—that when there are not enough RNs on staff, patient care suffers. A landmark 2002 study by Linda Aiken found that higher patient to RN ratios led to higher levels of nurse burnout and dissatisfaction, as well as poorer patient outcomes and increased medical errors. Currently, there is no federal law or standard requiring a minimum level of RN staffing. One state, California, has passed an RN staffing ratio law.

As a nurse in Alaska, it is important that you speak to Senator Begich and Murkowski to inform them of issues regarding increased patient ratios and how this impacts outcomes for our citizens in Alaska. Ask Senator Begich and Senator Murkowski to “cosponsor S. 1031.”

Also, if you would, please send a letter of thanks to Representative Young, for his continued support of nursing for being an original cosponsor of H. R. 2273.

Thank you, Donna Phillips, RN, BSN Girdwood