AARP Knows Nurses Are Essential for Reforming Health Care

John Rother is a long-time executive vice president for policy and strategy at AARP. In a recent speech, he outlined AARP’s interest in championing nursing, noting that nurses are essential for transforming health care delivery in ways that emphasize health promotion, wellness, chronic care management, and care coordination. AARP takes positions  on issues that affect their members–millions of Americans aged 55 years and older. It knows that access to affordable, quality, equitable, safe care is a priority for its members and nurses are key to making that priority a reality.

Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN, Rudin Professor of Nursing

[caption id="attachment_418" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="John Rother, AARP"][/caption] John

Violence Against Nurses: Will New NY Law Make a Difference?

New York State’s Governor David Paterson signed into law the Violence Against Nurses bill (A.3103-A; S.4018) that would make assaulting a nurse a felony. This was a legislative priority of the New York State Nurses Association.

Nurses face violence in the workplace every day, whether from a delirious patient, an angry family members, someone who is irrational from substance abuse, or an abusive physician who throws instruments in the OR. Too often, nurses are expected to put up with this violence and their workplaces rarely follow up with charges against the assaulter.

 

It will be interesting to follow what changes as a result of this bill. Will hospitals file felony charges against the surgeon? Should an assaultive but delirious (a condition that is now considered a medical emergency) patient be charged with a felony?

Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN, Rudin Professor of Nursing

New York State's Governor David Paterson signed