Pennsylvania State Nurses Association Testifies Before the House Professional Licensure Committee in Support of Nursing Peer Assistance Programs
This week, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA), a leading advocate for Pennsylvania registered nurses, testified before the House Professional Licensure Committee in support of the proposed HB 1722 – Nurse Health Program.
Harrisburg, PA (PRWEB) April 9, 2004 -- It is estimated that as many as
25,500 nurses in PA are expected to be at risk for impaired practice due to
chemical dependence, making their dependency a very real concern for the
healthcare industry as a whole.
“Chemical dependency is one of the
nation’s major preventable and treatable health problems. In order for nurses
dealing with chemical dependency to achieve a successful recovery and return to
their profession in a safe and professional manner, improved recovery programs
must be implemented,” said Michele Campbell, executive administrator of the
Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. “We feel strongly that with more than an
estimated 10% of PA nurses dealing with chemical dependency this program is an
absolute for the industry. The availability of supportive and experienced peer
assistance can be the difference between a nurse healing or continuing to harm
themselves and possibly others.”
The Nurses Health Program has been
proposed to offer nurses access to assistance and proper care in their time of
need and is based upon supportive research showing that a two-tier program
approach offers the most dramatic rates of success. The Nurses Health Program
would function on the basis of providing earlier identification and intervention
in a confidential non-punitive setting, opportunities for nurses to help nurses,
more intensive and long-term monitoring and outreach with education.
A
portion of nurse licensing renewal fees would support the needs of PA nurses
requiring assistance from the Nurses Health Program. Nurses should go to www.psna.org and click
on Support the Nurse Peer Assistance Program to write their legislators and find
out more information on the proposed program.
For a complete copy of the
testimony, please email e-mail protected from spam bots with the subject “Peer
Assistance Testimony”.
The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA)
is a non-profit organization representing the over 200,000 practicing nurses in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PSNA works to advance the profession. www.psna.org
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/4/prweb117178.htm