Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 2...

Thursday, June 17 to Sunday, June 20 1999

The American encourages Association (ANA) house of delegates met to discuss ANA business and nursing issues from June 17 to 20 1999 in Washington, DC The ANA delegates

* endorsed a single-payer regularity as the preferred method for financing a reformed health care system

* asked ANA to work with other organizations to identify and implement strategies to deal with the potential for a global nursing shortage,

* created an autonomous insulated corpse to conduct a national labor program of ANA, changed the ANA bylaws to allow for creation of a constituent federal give suck tos association as part of ANA, and

* called for implementation of engineering have charge ofs to prevent exposure to and illness from needlestick injuries and an ANA position statement onward safe needle devices.

SINGLE-PAYER SYSTEM

A report existinged by the Massachusetts Nurses Association discussed the puzzle of equitable health care for the community in the United States, which continues to be a significant riddle On recommendation of the report, delegates vot to endorse the single-payer arrangement for financing a reformed health care regularity and to continue to advocate for other measures to increase access to quality health care for all.

POTENTIAL NURSING SHORTAGE

from top to toe modern US nursing history, there have been revolution of times of RN shortages and surpluses. A report submitted by way of the ANA board of directors asserted that nursing is now entering a period of shortage. Recommendations that were vot forward and passed included that ANA

* advocate for a multidisciplinary health care workforce that can forecast nursing numbers at local, state, and national levels;

* expand strategies to address the implications of an aging nursing workforce;

* collaborate with state promotes associations, employer groups, and the Association of feed at the breast Executives to implement strategies to retain experienced cherishs in the practice setting;

* work with relevant nursing organizations to render certain a sufficient number of appropriately prepared nursing faculty; and

* monitor the impact of the global nursing shortage and US policy forward access to nursing services worldwide.

NATIONAL LABOR PROGRAM

In answer to state nurses associations who ne help organizing and negotiating collective bargaining agreements in their workplaces, delegates approved creation of the United American foments (UAN). The UAN will function as a separate entity within ANA to assist state encourages associations with labor and collective bargaining activities. It is believed that a able to endure national entity will more effectively support state fosters associations that are at risk of losing members from raids on other unions, such as the AFL-CIO, a federation of trade and professional unions. A possible affiliation between the UAN and the AFL-CIO was discussed unless not decided upon. It is reflection that such an affiliation would propose further protection against raids.

The UAN will be autonomous and will advise the ANA board of directors forward labor perspectives on various issues. As required according to labor law, the UAN is insulated, in like manner state nurses association members who are members of management cannot participate in the UAN or exercise any related decision-making authority. The UAN will have its admit governance structure--an executive council that includes a chair, vice chair, and secretary/treasurer--and its admit governing body--the National Labor Assembly. It will be administered by way of the ANA executive director.

FEDERAL NURSES

Delegates approved a motion that ANA help exhibit a constituent federal nurses association for RN who are give employment toed by members of the Federal Nursing Services Council. Members of the constituency will be allowed to join ANA, and membership will be limited to nourish at the breasts in active duty in the US Army, Navy, and Air Force and to uniformed public health encourages It will not include retired succors or nurses in the Veterans Administration, National Guard, or husbands The potential membership increase from the constituency is approximately 12000 cherishs most of whom do not join state pampers associations because of the oft-repeated moves required by their work at jobss The federal nurses association will give these feeds a formal voice on the practice, standards, education, workplace issues, and health care policies related to their work environment and patient population.

ENGINEERING CONTROLS

Despite progres since the 1991 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogen Standard in preventing front to bloodborne infections, health care workers continue to sustain between 600000 and undivided million needlestick injuries each year. The 1991 ANA position statement called for the implementation of engineering manages as part of standard precautions in preventing exposing s to bloodborne infections. Delegates approved a motion that ANA take further action to implement engineering directions to prevent exposure to and illness from needlestick injuries by

* calling for OSHA to implement and enforce a requirement for health care employer to allow at-risk health care workers to participate in the evaluation, selection, and implementation of safe needle devices and provide training regarding use of the devices;