MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Transcription

1 Volume XIII Number 3 Online Edition 9 ELEANOR HOBBS, PH.D., ANP, Editor MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The warm glow of summer is fading and the bright brisk days of fall are fast approaching. I hope you all had a relaxing and fun summer. As most of you know, the Nurse Practitioner Modernization Act did not make it to the Senate for a vote this spring, although it passed the Assembly. This was a great disappointment for all of us, but we have been more successful than at any other time. We must not let this bump in the road discourage us from forging ahead. Our political team is working hard to keep our legislation from getting lost in the legislative bog. We must be ready to give them the support they need. Articles, for example, the one published in Newsday, August 26, 2012 are a terrific boost to our cause. It reinforces the need for independent practice and removal of demeaning restrictions to practice. The medical community is realizing we are an integral part of the healthcare system. If you have not read it please do so. We must make every effort to keep this momentum going. I want to encourage each of you to contribute to the PAC, and write letters when requested. Every effort no matter how small enhances our position. No matter what your field of practice, this legislation is important to your autonomy. We have all worked hard to attain our current status and most important we have provided excellent care to our patients. Let us keep up the good work. I am looking forward to a very successful year and it will be, if we all stand together. Patricia A. Sullivan, President Community Service CommitteE Hope everyone had a wonderful summer! It goes by so fast. As you may remember, we collected school supplies at our two (2) meetings in June. Everyone was very generous. The items as well as gift cards were donated to Long Island Cares and were very much appreciated. This fall we are planning to participate in the Walk for Beauty which supports breast and prostate cancer. The walk will take place in Stony Brook Village on October 14, We would love to have members join us. If you are interested, please contact Debbie. Please check flyers and s for future activities. Thank you to all who have donated. When we speak to these organizations it really is very much appreciated. Anyone who is interested in joining the Community Service Committee can contact Debbie at or Liz at Elizabeth Kollar & Debbie Deierlein Scholarship committee We are gearing up for the Fall and will be accepting all SNP and DNP applications for scholarships. The filing deadline will be November 2, All the information about the application process is located on our website, but as always, any questions can be sent to me at rmcass52@hotmail.com. Rose Cassidy - Scholarship Chair NP-18.indd 1 9/26/2012 8:54:36 AM

2 Legislative Issues Committee We certainly have had legislative successes this season! The Modernization Act passed the Assembly by almost a 2:1 margin! It is extremely gratifying to see that our message is getting through to so many legislators. Even though the legislation was not brought to the floor of the Senate, we have made tremendous progress. Our message is also getting out to our physician colleagues. I hope you all had the opportunity to read the editorial in Newsday August 26, 2012 edition. While the article was entitled New prescription Residency programs must step up to fix the looming primary care doctor shortage, the article had a very positive mention of NPs. This article was written by the past Dean of the Stony Brook School of Medicine and another physician colleague who is also on the faculty of the School of Medicine. The authors wrote We might focus on producing more nurse practitioners and physician assistants. There is ample evidence that these clinicians can provide primary care equivalent to physicians in outpatient settings. New York should remove the demeaning restriction to independent practice of Nurse Practitioners, such as the requirement that they subject themselves to superfluous physician supervision. These physicians certainly championed Nurse Practitioners and are the perfect example of physician support for removal of mandatory collaboration. Some of the New York State legislators would do well to heed the recommendations of these highly regarded physician colleagues. The NPA also strongly advocated for legislation (A.2157 (Gottfried)/S.3881 (Hannon)) clarifying that a NP may perform all healthcare functions -- including signing, verifying or certifying forms, or documents -- pertaining to any healthcare service that is authorized within the nurse practitioner s existing scope of practice. This bill was again reported out of the Senate Higher Education Committee to the floor of the Senate. The Assembly, however, did not act on this proposal. There were some questions raised early this year by key policymakers about the full impact of this legislation. As a result, The NPA had a series of very productive meetings with the Legislature and the State Education Department, resulting in potential revisions to this proposal, but they were not introduced. We have to remember politics are all about compromise. Nationally health care reform legislation signed into law last year will begin to be implemented and this will affect NP practice. The Institute of Medicine Report on Nursing clearly called for NPs to practice to the fullest extent of their scope of practice is also on the horizon. We all need to stay tuned to see what the upcoming elections bring. The new PAC donation cycle begins each year in January, so if you have not made a donation this year it is time to make the commitment again and send a donation to the PAC. It is as easy as going to The NPA web site, or you can mail a check made out to The NPA PAC and mail it to Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, 73 Ireland Place, Amityville, NY and it will be mailed to Albany for you. If the name and/or address are not preprinted on the check, the member must enter that information on the check. The NPA cannot accept checks for the PAC unless the checks are written in this manner. Just a reminder that while the focus of our legislative initiative is usually state legislation, we need to remember that federal legislation also affects our practice. When was the last time you contacted your federal legislators about cosponsoring the new Ordering Home Health bill (S 227 and HR 2267)? Please contact your legislators today so you do not forget. Remember this is an election year. For further information, please go to the AANP web site, or dcoffice@aanp.org or call Our bills are listed below. I will continue to include all of the bills and their numbers as we become aware of them in each Legislative Report. A 5308 (Gottfried)/S.3289 (Young) - NP Modernization Act : Establishes the nurse practitioners modernization act which allows the practice of registered professional nursing by a certified nurse practitioner to include diagnoses and performance without collaboration of a licensed physician. A.2157 (Gottfried)/S.3881 (Hannon) - Valid Signature Bill - An act to amend the education law, in NP-18.indd 2 9/26/2012 8:54:37 AM

3 relation to authorizing nurse practitioners to perform functions in conjunction with clinical services within their scope of practice. (Otherwise known as our Valid Signature Bill encompassing issues such as DNR, etc.). A.1603 (Ortiz)/S Mental Health Bill - Authorizes nurse practitioners to admit patients to Inpatient Mental Health Units on voluntary or involuntary basis. I would like to end this update with a quote from Dr. Loretta Ford, which sums up why political action matters Get to the table and be a player or someone who does not understand nursing will do that for you. - Loretta Ford, Ed.D, RN, PNP, FAAN, FAANP Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco Legislative Issues Chair ARE YOU CHECKING OUR WEBSITE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION? visit us on the web at Practice Issues 2012 was at 100% capacity. The evaluations were excellent, and we have reserved Friday, April 5, 2013 for Practice Issues Those attending the April meeting, on Osteoporosis, at the Three Village Inn in Stony Brook earned 1.5 contact hours. The May meeting on MS was a non CE meeting, but the talk was very informative, and non promotional, and the venue was absolutely stunning! Please save the following dates for upcoming programs: Thursday, November 8, 2012 Women and Stable Ischemic Heart Disease Speaker: Jan McAlister, MSN, NP-C Morton s Steakhouse, Great Neck, NY This is a CE program Tuesday, December 4, 2012 Dermatology 101 Speaker: Danielle Well, FNP This is a CE program Friday, April 5, 2013 Practice Issues 2013 All dinner meetings are for current NPALI members only. Please make sure that we have your current address, mailing address, phone number, and work site. Please do not notify me of these changes, you need to go to The NPA web site member portal and update your profile. If you have questions on how to do this you can contact Amy Shudt AShudt@thenpa.org for help with this. Debra A. Chalmers - MA, ANP-BC debrachalmers@nyc.rr.com NP-18.indd 3 9/26/2012 8:54:37 AM

4 Public Relations The Public Relations Committee had successful events/initiatives this summer. With the focus on our Nurse Practitioner public awareness campaign, courtesy of the NPALI, we created and distributed bright yellow cards with Summer Fun & Safety tips on one side, and a description of What is a Nurse Practitioner (NP)? on the other side. These cards were very well received by the public. We also supplied the cards to some LI medical practices and other locations for availability and distribution to the public. I attended the East Meadow Community Pride Day in June, at a local park, where we had a table for the NPALI, and raffled off a rather large cute and cuddly teddy bear. In order to get a free raffle ticket for the prize, people had to fill out a survey regarding their knowledge of and/or experience with NP s. After filling out the survey, we gave the participants a bright yellow card (as described above), which they promptly read to see if they got the right answers on the survey. This process included some very funny reactions and laughter among the participants. Ironically, the winner of the bear was the husband of an RN who is an NP student He confessed that he and their family did not understand what this NP thing is. After reading the card, however, he now understands, and plans to share it with the family. This was another one of our success stories. A review of the survey responses revealed that there is an overwhelming knowledge deficit with regard to who and what NP s are, our scope of practice, and what role we can play as members of their health care team. We have a lot of work to do with regard to educating the public about NP s. So, please remember to take every opportunity to educate everyone you have contact with about the role of Nurse Practitioners, and what we can mean to them and their loved ones. Recently, NP s were mentioned in several articles in local publications, and on the evening news, where we were portrayed in a very favorable light. As always, if you have any ideas for the Public Relations Committee, or are aware of any LI community events where we can provide a presence, please contact me at SMarks4NP@gmail.com Committee volunteers and creative ideas are always welcome and encouraged. Susan Marks, MS, RN, ANP-C Chairperson, Public Relations Left - Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco & Dr. Loretta Ford at the AANP Fellows Induction Ceremony. Right - Dr. Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco & Dr.Donna Hallas of The NPA at the 2012 AANP Conference in Orlando NP-18.indd 4 9/26/2012 8:54:37 AM

5 THANK YOU FROM THE AMERICAN RED CROSS NP-18.indd 5 9/26/2012 8:54:38 AM

6 2012 New York State Nurse Practitioner of the Year Congratulations to Mary Beth Koslop-Petraco, DNP,PNP Congratulations Mary Beth! CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Executive Officers It s that time again when the Board of the NPALI is seeking members that want to make a difference, get involved, and share ideas with their colleagues. Please feel free to nominate yourself or a fellow member of NPALI. We would love to hear from you and have you contribute your talents and energy to our organization. Self-nomination is encouraged. Mentoring is readily available. Requirements: Active Membership with Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island and New York State Nurse Practitioner Association Brief statement from nominee supporting their nomination Resume/CV Available positions for 2013 are: President Elect (3-year total commitment: President Elect, President, Past President) Name: Home Phone #: Work #: Secretary (2-year term) Name: Home Phone #: Nominations are to be sent to: Nominations Committee C/o Susan Aiello 9 Brookfield Lane South Setauket, N Y Deadline October 5, 2012 Work #: NP-18.indd 6 9/26/2012 8:54:39 AM

7 REGIONAL DIRECTOR S REPORT Greetings colleagues! The NPA has remained busy over the past several months. In June, The NPA Board of Directors hosted a leadership retreat and had the opportunity to bring leaders from all the chapters from around New York State together. Many concepts, ideas, and issues were shared by all. The information gathered will help with strategic planning in the future. June was also busy in terms of our legislative agenda. As you know, the NYS Legislature is in session from January to June and so the last month is always a whirlwind of activity in Albany. This year was no different except for the fact that we have made so much progress and paved so many more inroads towards reaching our legislative goals. Although our marquee bill, the Nurse Practitioner Modernization Act, made it through the Assembly, it did not advance to the floor of the Senate. A lot of time, effort and energy went into this process and I would like to thank all of you who helped in the process by contacting your legislators. Our other bills, Global Signature bill and the Mental Health bill also made advanced progress but unfortunately, they too were not passed out of the Legislature. There is still much to do in the coming months and The NPA is focusing on strategies to help our bills be passed in the future. The NPA is also working on adding member benefits. Of note, The NPA has reached an agreement with Epocrates, the online clinical information reference and decision support tool that will provide NPA members with a 20% discount on subscription fees. This is a great benefit as many of us use Epocrates already and find it invaluable. Do not forget, NPA members also receive a 15% discount on Fitzgerald Health Education Associates products when ordered via The NPA website ( org). I would also like to remind everyone that The NPA offers Practice Issues assistance and a Nurse Practitioner Resource Guide that is available to all members. The Guide can be downloaded from The NPA website. Speaking of members, I am happy to report that our membership has increased on both a local and state level. Our chapter now boasts over 700 members and statewide, we are now over 3000 strong. This is very encouraging as we continue to grow in numbers but we still have a ways to go. As always, I encourage all of you to encourage your NP colleagues who are not members to join and reap the benefits that we all enjoy. Lastly, I want to take this opportunity to invite all of you to join me in attending this year s NPA Annual Conference, Advancing Practicing through Changing Times, to be held at the Saratoga Hilton and City Center in Saratoga Springs. The conference begins on October 17 and runs through October 21. The NPA will honor one of our own, Dr. Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco with The NPA s Nurse Practitioner of the Year award. Congratulations to Mary Beth! In addition, I hope to see you all in Saratoga Springs! Respectfully submitted, Jeanne Martin NPA Regional Director, Region #7 (Long Island) NP-18.indd 7 9/26/2012 8:54:39 AM

8 Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island 373 Nesconset Highway, Suite #210 Hauppauge, NY Board of Directors President Patricia Sullivan Past-President Diane Massucci President-Elect Linda Aumock Treasurer Patricia O Hara Secretary Jeanne Martin Advocate Eleanor Hobbs Awards Anne Klassert Community Service Debbie Deierlein Elizabeth Kollar Finance Committee Donna Willenbrook Informatics/Website Susan Smith Carol D Abbraccio Legislative Affairs Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco Membership Diane Santangelo Nominations Susan Aiello Programs Committee Debra Chalmers Public Relations Susan Marks Research Scholarship Diane Pastor Scholarship Committee Rose Cassidy Regional Director Jeanne Martin PayPal on the NPALI Website As a convenience for our members, you are now able to pay for our monthly dinner meetings using a credit or debit card. You simply go to the website click on the event that you want to attend, enter the registration information and then click submit. You will then be directed to the Paypal website which is a secure site where you enter your payment information. If you do not get a confirmation from Paypal then you have not entered the appropriate information and you are not confirmed as paid or attending. A reminder: if you are using a credit card with a different name on it, or paying for another member, you must let us know so we know who is attending. If you have any questions, please contact carolfnp@gmail.com NP-18.indd 8 9/26/2012 8:54:40 AM