1. Premiere's Green Newsletter
2. Nurses Workgroup Minigrant RFP
"Going green"
not only is a smart way for hospitals to protect
the environment, it also creates safe and healing environments
for patients.
Click the link below to see the Green Link newsletter that highlights
many of the "green" healthcare initiatives that intersect with
patient safety.
Read the full
text of Green Link on the Safety Web at:
http://www.premierinc.com/quality-safety/tools-services/safety/green-link/04-07.jsp
From :Gina Pugliese,
editor
Vice President, Premier Safety Institute
Nurses
Workgroup Mini-Grant RFP
Announcement:
Nurses Workgroup Mini-Grant RFP, Round Six
April 23, 2007
Health Care Without Harm is announcing round six of the 2006-2007 Nurses
Workgroup Mini-Grant Program. The Mini-Grant program is designed to support
innovative efforts to expand and deepen the involvement of nurses in environmental
health issues, to promote advocacy activities and to encourage those initiatives
that showcase collaborative efforts between nurses and environmental organizations.
The HCWH Mini-Grant program welcomes all applications for funding members
of the HCWH Nurses Workgroup, participants of "RN No Harm" workshops,
participants of the Commonweal 2004 Initiative, ANA Constituent Member
Associations, Specialty Nursing Organizations, Luminaries, Beacons and
Guiding Lights of the Luminary Project, Nursing Unions, Schools of Nursing,
nurse participants of Clean Med 2006, and HCWH Workgroups that wish to
develop or expand their relationships with nurses. If you have any questions
about your eligibility to submit a proposal, please contact Brenda M.
Afzal, RN, MS at bafzal@son.umaryland.edu or 410-706-1778.
The awards will range from $500 to $3,000 and will be for one-year only.
The proposal is due June 4, 2007. The proposal may not exceed five pages.
Applicants of accepted proposals will be notified by June 25, 2007. If
awarded you will be required to submit a mid-year and final report by
e-mail. We strongly encourage applicants to apply by E-mail to Brenda
Afzal at bafzal@son.umaryland.edu. If you have questions regarding the
RFP, or your eligibility to apply, please contact Brenda Afzal by email
or at 410-706-1778; or contact Jolie Patterson Rosst at jprosst@hcwh.org.
Thank you for your attention to this important announcement.
Karen A. Ballard, MA, RN
Co-Chair, HCWH Nurses Workgroup
22 West 77th Street, Apt. 36
NYC, NY 10024
Phone: 212-595-9112
E-Mail: kballard@nyc.rr.com
Brenda M. Afzal,
MS, RN
HCWH Nurses Workgroup
Mini Grant Coordinator
655 West Lombard Street, Rm 665
Baltimore, MD
410-706-1778
Attachments: HCWH Mini-Grant RFP Round 6.doc;
Health Care Without Harm Mini Grant Template.doc;
NWG Announcement Round 6.doc
Here's a press release going out to media across the state now. Note that Washington State Nurses Association, which played a big role in this legislative campaign, is quote. NURSES ROCK!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April
3, 2007
CONTACT: Laurie Valeriano, Washington Toxics Coalition, 206-200-2824
Jamie Smith, House Democratic Caucus, 360-786-7631
Washington State Legislature Passes First-in-the-Nation Ban on Toxic Flame Retardants
Measure Passes Senate 41 to 8, Goes to Governor for Signature
Olympia-The Washington State
Legislature has passed the nation's first ban on all forms of the toxic
flame retardants known as PBDEs. The Senate passed ESHB1024, sponsored
by Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Medina), by a 41 to 8 margin at noon today. Senator
Debbie Regala (D-Tacoma) sponsored the companion bill in the Senate.
"Washington state is leading the way for improving the health and
safety of our children," said Hunter, who has sponsored the legislation
for three years. "We've come up with a common-sense strategy for
preserving fire safety while getting rid of chemicals like PBDEs that
build up in our environment, in our bodies, and even in mothers' breast
milk."
Major manufacturers, including HP, Dell, Sony, Panasonic, and Phillips, have already stopped using PBDEs in their products. Sen. Regala applauded the bill's final passage, saying "Companies have proven that we don't need toxic chemicals like PBDEs to make effective products. It's up to us at the state level to move the rest of the industry toward safer practices."
The Washington State Departments of Ecology and Health requested the legislation, which is supported by Governor Gregoire, three state fire associations, the Washington State Nurses Association, the Washington Medical Association, and many others. The bill is the first one of the four Priorities for a Healthy Washington to head to the Governor's desk. While other states have passed bans on the penta and octa forms of PBDEs, which have been phased out of manufacture, Washington is the first to act on the deca form. Deca has by far the highest production volume of the PBDE forms.
"Fire fighters are concerned about preventing fires and reducing exposure to toxic chemicals, because we're on the front lines in both cases," said Keven Rojecki of the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters. "Fire fighters are already exposed to so many deadly carcinogens, it is critical that safer alternatives be used to ensure products are fire safe. This bill is a victory for protecting the health of firefighters and the public from harmful toxic chemicals."
The legislation does the following:
* Bans the use of the penta and octa forms of PBDEs, with limited exceptions,
by 2008
* Bans the use of the deca form in mattresses by 2008
* Bans the use of the deca form in televisions, computers, and residential
upholstered furniture by 2011, as long as a safer, reasonable, and effective
alternative has been identified by the state departments of Ecology and
Health and approved by fire safety officials
"This legislation is about
doing the right thing to protect families and our environment from the
harmful effects of PBDEs," said Rep. Skip Priest, R-Federal Way.
"We're doing the responsible thing-banning the chemical and working
with alternative fire retardants so we don't trade one danger for another."
Priest added that he was very concerned about the possible link between
PBDEs and irregular brain development in fetuses. This measure, he says,
is the only sure way to break that connection.
As the measure gained momentum, the bromine industry, the most significant
opponent to the legislation, employed tactics that included testifying
as fire safety organizations and widely distributing a mailer with misleading
information.
"With the passage of this legislation, Washington is a safer place to raise children," said Laurie Valeriano, Policy Director for the Washington Toxics Coalition. "Scientific facts and disease prevention won out today over chemical industry scare tactics and hype."
Three hundred health care professionals signed a letter supporting the ban on PBDEs, citing harmful health impacts from PBDEs including learning and behavioral disorders, memory impairments, disruption of thyroid function, reproductive effects, and cancer. The letter's authors note that substantial evidence shows the buildup of PBDEs in people, orca whales, and the environment, and new studies find that the deca form breaks down into other forms of PBDEs that have already been phased out.
"This action by the Washington State legislature marks a crucial step forward for the health, development and learning of Washington's children." said Barry Lawson, MD, Immediate Past President of the Washington Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics said, "By phasing out PBDEs, we can safeguard our children from exposures to these persistent toxic chemicals and act on our responsibility to provide them with a healthier future."
"This is truly a case where prevention is essential," said Judy Huntington, MN, RN, Executive Director of the Washington State Nurses Association. "By passing this legislation, we are making vital progress in protecting our state's children, families and workers from permanent yet preventable harm."
