ANA\C The Nursing Voice Summer 2019

22  . The Nursing Voice . Summer 2019 A Day at the Capitol Nurse Practitioners’ Scope of Practice. He did not feel there was any threat with giving NPs full authority given the growing short- age of physicians. He also reaffirmed he cares deeply for patients and their safety, discussing his work on SB 425: Patient Sexual Misconduct Allegations and Reporting Requirements. Students from Silicon Valley (Assembly District 28) met with Robert Sumner, chief consultant for the office of Assembly Member Evan Low. Since ASM Low is the chair for the Assembly Business and Professions Committee, which managed the amend- ments to AB 890, Sumner shared that numerous conversations that have taken place with the California Association for Nurse Practitioners. He emphasized the amendments were intended to bridge the gap between the educational requirements between physicians and nurse practitioners, ultimately with the goal of achieving the bill’s approval. Following RN Day, the students agreed the biggest lesson from this experience was discovering the power of sharing first-hand stories. Representatives from all meetings appreciated hearing from the frontlines of healthcare. This further solidifies the impor- tance of nurses as active participants in the legislative process. Cassidy Denny, Senate Fellow & Healthcare Staffer Office of Senator Scott Wiener District 11: San Francisco & San Mateo Counties University of San Francisco MSN Students: Katherine Balestreri, Angela Barrientos, Edward Goett, Brian Jacobson, Hailee Kuhl, Alexis Louie, Erin Madden, Veronica Noguera, Rebecca Pease, Andrea Serrano, Michelle Sosa, Amy Thomas For RN Day 2019, a special group of graduate-level nursing stu- dents from the University of San Francisco met with Senate Fel- low & Healthcare Staffer Cassidy Denny to discuss their viewpoint on legislation regarding regional homelessness (AB 1534) and workplace violence in the clinical setting (AB 329). Cassidy Denny works for the office of Senator Scott Weiner, whose district the students are all constituents of. The first bill discussed with Denny was AB 1534—The Regional Homeless Management Planning Act. The students explained at length how the high population of homeless adults in bay area hospitals reflected the at-large issue of homelessness in San Fran- cisco. Although homelessness is not a direct nursing issue, the students advocated for change due to role as a major underlying determinant of a patients’ wellbeing. The second bill discussed was AB 329—Hospital Assaults and Batteries. This bill proposes to equalize the penalties against all healthcare providers, regardless if the assault occurs inside or outside the hospital. The USF graduates urged for support for this bill, citing personal stories of fellow Emergency Depart- ment Nurses who commonly have had to face violent atrocities from patients such as spitting, biting, kicking, or having objects thrown at them during work. Nurses are on the frontline of pa- tient care report the highest rate of workplace assaults. SB353 for healthcare workers was also discussed as a senate compan- ion bill. Overall, Denny seemed very receptive to the students’ testimoni- als. Although there were twelve representatives, she maintained eye contact with each speaker and was observed to take notes throughout the session, evidencing a high level of interest. When discussing Scott Weiner’s policies on healthcare, Denny men- tioned that he is a big supporter of combatting homelessness, and she ensured that these homeless adults receive resources to aid their situation As a Senate Fellow and Healthcare Staffer of Senator Scott Weiner’s office, she explained a few of his projects related to the topics at hand: “Right to shelter” (SB 50), and “Access to Prep and Pep.” Denny appeared slightly taken aback by their anecdotal stories regarding homelessness, mental health, and workplace violence. From the students’ perspectives, it seemed that their personal stories about homeless patients and workplace violence had the most powerful impact on Denny When asked what brought her into healthcare policy, she ex- pressed interests in healthcare from the perspective of the disad- vantaged. Denny expressed particular interests in how healthcare is or is not provided to disparate communities. She is currently in a month-long internship focused on health and education from the lens of low-income communities and communities of color. Overall, the students had a positive experience with Ms. Cassidy Denny, agreeing she was generous with her time. Interview/Conversation with Robbie Sumner, Chief Consultant for Assemblymember Evan Low Assemblymember Evan Low Chair of Assembly Committee on Business and Professions University of San Francisco MSN Students: Chun Bozeman, Rebekah Humphrey, Kait Formaker, Nancy Alvarez Abraham Lincoln said, “We must think anew and act anew.” While Assemblymember Wood did not say these exact words, it is the sentiment behind what he is trying to accomplish at the Capitol. His focus is on access to healthcare, quality health care for all, broadband (will give patients access to healthcare from afar and the infrastructure needs to be addressed), and addressing the challenges around affordability (cost of healthcare is increasing at the rate of 5–6% compared to inflation at 3% every year). He also discussed the two tiers of healthcare: “People who get care” and “People who don’t get care.” In regard to addressing access, he learned more about what could be done, and AB 890 addresses the primary care provid- er shortage here in California. Thus, he carries and sponsors AB 890, which would allow nurse practitioners to provide unsupervised care and practice to the full scope of their abili- ties here in California. While Assemblymember Woods did not support the bill previously, he has come to learn that nurse practitioners would be beneficial in addressing the primary care physician shortage. As Assemblymember Wood stated in explaining his change of heart, “I didn’t know what I know now.” In discussing the history and evolution of AB 890, he stated, “...and unlike a lot of bills like this...it’s my bill and at the end of the day...there could be a possibility that nurse practitioners aren’t thrilled with exactly what comes out of this and they may not support it. But that would be weird. But my hope is that we are going to make progress.” After listening