California Nurses Association May 26,
2014
National
Nurses Organizing Committee (HQ)
2000
Franklin Street
Oakland, CA
94612
T.
510-273-2200
F.
510-433-2790
Re: AB 2616 (SKINNER),
To whom it may concern,
As an advocate for
the Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) in our Veteran’s
Hospitals I would like to not only thank but also support the efforts of both the
Honorable California Assemblmember Nancy Skinner and the California Nurses
Association(CNA) for their efforts concerning workplace safety for our
healthcare workers via AB 2616.
AB 2616
explicitly extends a disputable presumption for WC eligibility to hospital
employees for MRSA
infections.
The bill only applies to hospital workers that provide direct patient care in
acute care hospitals.
The immediate effect of AB2616, in my humble
opinion, will be higher healthcare costs, the long-term impact, another documented
fiscal cost associated with a HAI will force the healthcare industry, both
organized labor and capital, to address a preventable disease many California
patients will pay for with life or limb this year let alone the fiscal catastrophe.
How does AB 2616 help our Veterans, “knowledge
is king”, a truism I learned in Boot-camp, the California Department of Public
Health(CDPH) has become the “porthole” for the prevention of HAI:
Due to the freedom of information act, our V.A. facilities
have access to it as well as organized labor in California, HAI will not be
defeated by legislative action or technology, HAI will be defeated only by
every healthcare staff member assuming a leadership role, up, down, 360 degrees
around in the implementation of a known “best
practice for the prevention of HAI”, MRSA being one of them.
The US Department of Labor is taking action via O.S.H.A., this
is a workplace safety issue, AB 2616 is tangible proof of the role of organized
labor although I will point to the efforts of the American Association of
Critical Care Nurses concerning
educating its members concerning the prevention of HAI:
Sincerely,
Michael H. Slavinski http://h-a-i-5.blogspot.com
"If we can
improve the quality of care, that will translate into lower cost," Anthem
President Pam Kehaly said. "These are real dollars”
