Legislative 2008

2008 has been an action packed year as the Board of the VNPA rolled up our sleeves and got down to business. Below is a list of the activities that will be continued into 2009 and beyond. As we move forward toward eliminating the written collaborative agreement, it is our commitment to our membership to be prepared for what lies ahead with practice and professional issues.

Vermont Primary Care Workforce Committee – Gabrielle Mikula

• Gabrielle continues as past president to maintain NP input into health policy decision-making. Along with the students (see below) she is working with the Vermont Primary Care Workforce Committee (VTPCWC). They are involved with creating Talking Points for legislative action, developing recruitment and retention strategies, and maintaining vigilance on the primary care needs of the state. Now more then ever, the importance of NP visibility is critical if we are going to bring “health care” back into the equation of health care delivery and policy decisions.

UVM APRN program turns theory into action – Carol Buck Rolland

• As VNPA board member and faculty, Carol has brought policy into the classroom and beyond, requiring students to participate in some form of health policy arena during their semester. As an example of this, NP students, Christin Blandt and Anna Westervelt, have become student members of The Vermont Primary Care Workforce Committee (VTPCWFC), a group that examines ways to improve recruitment and retention of Primary Care Providers in Vermont. The VTPCWFC is in the process of creating a website. One area of the site will be dedicated to testimonials written by PCPs about their positive experiences working in Vermont. Anna and Christin are looking for testimonials of APRNs about their positive relationships with other healthcare professionals in VT (including MDs, PAs, other NPs, etc.).

Independent Practice – Deborah Wachtel, Nancy Morris

• Nancy and Deborah responded to a mandate by the House Health Committee to participate in a task force to evaluate the efficacy of eliminating the written collaborative agreement as a requirement for APRN licensure in Vermont. This was an initiative that evolved as a strategy for removing barriers to accessing primary care. The task force was charged with studying the issue then making a recommendation to the legislature. The conclusion of this committee that consisted of MDs, APRNs, representatives from the board of nursing, medical practice board, legislature, and health dept was to push forward with the removal of the written practice agreement language in the rules and regulations. The BON was given the task of re-writing the rules to reflect this recommendation. In 2009, we hope to see this completed and the new language sent to the Rules Committee of the legislature for approval. Stay tuned. For more information, or to join Representative Schwartz in cosponsoring this important legislation, please contact Kate Gross on my staff at Kate.Gross@mail.house.gov.

APRN Advisory Committee to the Vermont Board of Nursing

Jennifer Laurent, Nancy Morris, Gabrielle Mikula

• Jennifer, Nancy, and Gabrielle are 3 members of a 7-member APRN advisory committee to the Board of Nursing that was created as a direct result of an initiative started in the House Health Committee in 2008. The first charge of this new committee was to advise the board on the change in language of the rules and regulations governing our licensure in Vermont. But it does not stop with the language ruling. This will be the first time EVER in Vermont that we have had a legislated voice on issues involving APRN practice in the board of nursing. The other APRN members of this committee include: Marjorie Kelso, CNM, Mark Green, CRNA, Mary Ann Abney, PMH-CNS, Susan Sykas, PNP.