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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2003
CONTACT: Cindy Price, 202-651-7038
Carol Cooke, 202-651-7027
ANA Calls Congressional Agreement on Smallpox Vaccination a Positive
Step
Yet proposed legislation still lacks ‘full assurances’ on adequate
pre-screening, education, surveillance and compensation
Washington, DC – The American Nurses Association (ANA) today called a
final smallpox compensation agreement between the White House and key
congressional leaders “a positive step” in protecting health care
providers who might be harmed by the voluntary vaccine. But the
association’s enthusiasm for the agreement was tempered by concerns that
the compromise legislation fails to mandate adequate education,
pre-screening and surveillance, and fuller protections in the event of
adverse reactions. Congress is expected to pass the measure before
recessing today.
“We are pleased that the agreement has been reached,” said ANA President
Barbara A. Blakeney, MS, APRN,BC, ANP, “especially because it offers
protections that were absent from the Bush administration’s plan unveiled
last November. We also would like to thank Representatives Lois Capps,
Henry Waxman, John Dingell and Sherrod Brown, as well as Senator Barbara
Mikulski, for their hard work, which made these latest advances possible.
But we are disappointed that the final congressional package still does
not offer fuller assurances on many of the health and safety concerns we
have repeatedly outlined.”
On Mar. 25, ANA sent letters to members of the U.S. House of
Representatives asking them to support legislation proposed by Reps. Capps
(D-CA) and Waxman (D-CA) that would include provisions for the essential
education, prescreening and surveillance systems needed to guarantee the
safe administration of the vaccine. ANA also supported a Senate amendment
offered by Sen. Mikulski (D-MD) that proposed the same benefits as the
House version. After intense lobbying by ANA, members of the House
subsequently defeated proposed legislation that did not include these
proposals.
Offering an example of why this issue matters, Blakeney noted that members
of the U.S. armed services have “rightly received personalized education,
and free and confidential prescreening prior to the administration of the
vaccine. This process properly screened out one-third of the potential
recipients. But Congress’ final legislative package still does not ensure
that nurses and other health care workers will receive similar support.”
In addition, Blakeney noted that if a nurse were permanently disabled by
the vaccine, wage replacements would end at age 65, leaving only Medicare
and Social Security payments to rely on throughout retirement. “And what
amount of Social Security might a disabled nurse, who potentially has not
been paying into the system for many years, be receiving?” she asked.
Finally, citing “an issue of fairness,” Blakeney noted that, unlike the
provision for police, firefighters and other first responders, the
$262,100 death benefit for health care workers is reduced by any amount
paid for lost wages prior to death. “Nurses, who are potentially putting
their lives on the line by volunteering for this vaccine, should be
receiving the same compensation as other vital first responders,” she
noted.
The first phase of the administration’s three-pronged plan to vaccinate
500,000 health-care workers began on Jan. 24, despite repeated calls from
ANA to delay the process until key health and compensation concerns were
adequately addressed. Registered nurses are part of the first phase as
well as the second phase of the plan, which involves inoculating 10
million first responders.
“America’s nurses have always been there for their patients, especially in
times of crisis,” said Blakeney. “And ANA strongly agrees that the nation
should be adequately prepared against the possibility of a bioterrorist
attack. However, we also believe that nurses – like members of the armed
services and our nation’s police, fire and other first-responders –
deserve the strongest protections possible under the law.”
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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service
professional organization representing the nation's 2.7 million registered
nurses (RNs) through its constituent member state nurses associations. The
ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing
practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the
workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by
lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues
affecting nurses and the public.
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