With the 2010 election season fast approaching, and some surprise special elections already in the books, the 2010 season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive cycles in recent history and the ANA’s Government Affairs team wants to make sure you know about ANA-PAC’s endorsement process. In the most recent election cycle (2008), ANA-PAC endorsed 103 candidates, including President Obama, with an 89% win rate.
We are only two months into 2010 and nurses are poised for challenging state legislative sessions. Legislators, faced with severe budget deficits, are limiting policy decisions primarily to those that will be revenue generating or reduce costs. State nurses associations are not deterred, advancing agendas that demonstrate the contributions and value of nurses in the health care delivery system.
I’ve always enjoyed working on political issues, campaigns, and legislative projects but at the beginning of last year, I found myself deeply involved with a new way to volunteer. On January 18, 2009, Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and his wife Denice were blessed with the safe delivery of their three healthy baby girls: Cristina, Daniela, and Gabriela. These babies completed their wonderful family that already included 5 year old Angelina. Having to care for three babies at the same time requires careful planning, endurance, and lots of patience. I know that when parents have to call on families and friends all of the time to help with multiple births, it takes a toll on everyone. So I rounded up a bunch of enthusiastic and energetic nurses eager to volunteer to add to the list of those helping care for these precious babies.
With recent news of excessive, harmful radiation from medical imaging procedures, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced on February 9, 2010 an initiative to decrease unnecessary exposure from computed tomography (CT) scans, nuclear medicine studies, and fluoroscopy. These contribute substantially to total radiation exposure, with much higher radiation than standard and dental X-rays, and mammography.
