Annual Meeting Adopts SCNA Legislative Priorities 2008-2010

South Carolina Nurse, The, Jan-Mar 2009

The biennial presentation of the SCNA Legislative Priorities was proposed and passed at the Annual Meeting on October 25, 2008. These priorities form the basis for actions that are taken during the two year period in the policy and legislative arenas. The purposes of the Legislative Priorities are to guide the work of the Legislative Committee and SCNA Lobbyists, Judith Curfman Thompson, Executive Director and Lobbyist and Wendy Holmquist, Candice Spencer, Julie Cox and Shanna Amerson of the CIA firm of lobbyists who work with and for SCNA. The Legislative Priorities may be found at www.scnurses.org as well as below:

"The South Carolina Nurses Association has among its purposes:

* To promote the quality of life and health care for all people

* To foster the nursing profession as a leading, positive force in the health care delivery system

To achieve these broad purposes, the SCNA will provide leadership in the legislative and public policy arena

To promote the quality of life and health care for all people in South Carolina, SCNA will:

* Promote access to and delivery of safe, cost effective, quality health services for the public

* Protect nursing care services to the public with emphasis in the licensed nurses' roles as qualified providers of healthcare services

* Support equal rights and opportunities for all peoples unrestricted by consideration of age, color, creed, disability, gender, health status, lifestyle, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation

* Support legislation that promotes and protects environmental health in the home, at the worksite, in the community

* Initiate and/or support legislation to assure comprehensive health care services to all people, especially vulnerable populations

To foster the nursing profession in its role as a provider, leader and collaborator in the health care delivery system, SCNA will:

1. Initiate, monitor and respond to all activity which would affect the practice of nursing

2. Assure nursing participation in planning, development, and evaluation of policies related to health care

3. Support and protect the rights of nurses in the workplace

4. Initiate and support the procurement of public and private funding for nursing education and nursing research."