Volume 6 /Issue 2 February 29, 2008
	ANA President Joins Senator Clinton on Campaign Trail ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, announces ANA's endorsement of Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for President at a campaign event held in Tacoma, Washington on February 8, 2008. Also joining Pres. Patton and Sen. Clinton on stage was Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA). read the article
	Nursing Caucus Circulating letter in support of Nursing Workforce Development Funding On February 25th House Nursing Caucus co-chairs Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH) circulated a letter to their peers seeking support for $200 million in funding for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs. read the article President's Budget Proposes Cuts to Nursing and Health Care Programs President Bush released his fiscal year (FY) 2009 Budget on Monday, February 4, 2008. This $3.1, trillion spending plan outlines the Administrations priorities. President Bush's continued efforts to cut taxes while increasing funding for the military and domestic security have necessarily led him to propose cuts to domestic healthcare programs. As in FY 2008, nursing has been targeted in these cuts. read the article CMS Clarifies Tamper-Resistant Prescription Rules In a recent letter to State Medicaid Directors, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have recently clarified the new requirements for tamper-resistant prescriptions. As of October 2007, all written, non-electronic prescriptions for Medicaid outpatient medications must be written on tamper-resistant pads. Actually, this was part of the 2007 Appropriations Act for the U.S. military and Hurricane Katrina. read the article New Medicaid Regulations Cause for Concern Over the last year and continuing with the Presidentýÿs new FY 2009 budget proposals, the Administration has proposed or issued regulations that will force states to make significant changes to Medicaid, that would total over $13 billion over 5 years. These changes would threaten access to health care for millions of our most vulnerable citizens and result in new pressures on state and local governments, when the fiscal downturn is already straining their ability to maintain critical education, public health, and social services. read the article What's in a name? A number of states are witnessing the introduction of legislation to create "medical homes" in an effort to reform the health care delivery system by improving access and reducing costs. But the term "medical home" has created confusion and even some angst. So, what does all this mean? read the article Copyright 2008, American Nurses Association For more information contact: gova@ana.org			Thirty Plus Open Seats in the House, a Third of the Senate Up for Reelection...and You Thought The Presidential Race Was Exciting! While the Presidential primary season has excited and engaged American voters, the House and Senate contests are also shaping up to provide a roller coaster ride over the next several months. read the article ANA-PAC Wraps Up First Half of the "Race for the Million" Campaign The American Nurses Association Political Action Committee wrapped up the first half of fundraising for the "Race for the Million" campaign by raising over $429,000 from 9183 members. ANA-PAC was founded in the early 1970's to promote the improvement of the health care system in the United States by raising funds from CMA (Constituent Member Association) members and contributing them to support worthy candidates for federal office who have demonstrated their belief in the legislative and regulatory agenda of the American Nurses Association. read the article ANA Member Colleen Conway-Welch Appointed to NIH Advisory Committee Our distinguished ANA member, Colleen Conway-Welch, PhD, CNM, FAAN, FACNM, was recently selected to serve on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health. This 20-member committee provides policy and planning advice for conducting and supporting biomedical and behavioral research, research training, and translating research results for the public. read the article Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Regulations The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed regulation implementing the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005, to improve patient quality and safety by fostering the establishment of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs). As envisioned by the Institute of Medicine, PSOs are private entities approved by HHS to collect and analyze patient safety events reported by health care providers. Reporting would be voluntary, privileged and confidential, without fear of new tort liability, to encourage the sharing of data on patient safety events more freely and consistently. read the article