Press Release - Two Nursing Bills Signed
OFFICE OF GOV. BILL RITTER, JR.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2008
CONTACT:
Evan Dreyer, 720.350.8370, evan.dreyer@state.co.us
GOV. RITTER MARKS NURSES WEEK BY SIGNING HEALTH CARE BILLS INTO LAW TODAY
Gov. Bill Ritter signed two health-care bills into law today, one that establishes a pilot program for unprecedented collaboration between hospitals and nurses, and another that adds nursing-related quality measures to the Colorado Hospital Report Card.
Both bills are the result of the Governor's Nurse Workforce & Patient Safety Task Force. Gov. Ritter signed them during National Nurses Week.
"Senate Bills 188 and 196 are the result of nearly a year's worth of effort to bring people with different viewpoints together to reach common ground," Gov. Ritter. "This is a great example of health care employers and employees achieving consensus on behalf of the people of Colorado."
SB 188 was sponsored by Sen. Betty Boyd and Rep. Jack Pommer. It establishes a 14-member committee to develop and implement a pilot program to involve direct-care nurses in decision-making processes in hospitals. "After years of contentious debate about nurse staffing issues in the workplace, this bill offers a roadmap to address those concerns by determining the most effective way to include front-line and bedside nurse," Sen. Boyd said. "This bill also provides an opportunity to continue the dialogue created by the Governor's Task Force.
SB 196, sponsored by Sens. Boyd and Tochtrop and Rep. Pommer, adds seven nursing-related quality measures to the Colorado Hospital Report Card, including nurse education and certification and the measurement of nursing hours per patient-day.
"This bill allows nurses to be proactive in making decisions about patient care, which I believe will lead to increased quality in the health care for Colorado," said Sen. Tochtrop, who is a nurse.
"This will help keep good nurses on the job in hospitals, and nurses are the key to good hospital care," Pommer said.
For a complete list of legislation Gov. Ritter has signed into law during the 2008 legislative session, click here.