2018-2020 PNASC News & Announcements

 

  • November 18, 2018 9:00 AM | Anonymous


    Our Morongo Fundraising has concluded and with more than 100 attendees, it was just phenominally successful!

    Thank you to all the members of the PNASC executive board and advisory council who worked hard to make this event possible headed by our rockstar project leader, Maria Sagun! Importantly, THANK YOU to our supportive families, friends, colleaugues, and generous DONORS!!! While we made Morongo today an inch richer, this project was truly for a GREAT CAUSE— education on wheels for nurses and the proceeds will benefit our scholarship and outreach programs.

    To view pictures taken at the event, please visit our photos page.

  • September 07, 2018 7:00 AM | Anonymous


  • August 31, 2018 9:00 AM | Anonymous

    The 2019 PNASC Scholarship is now available in our Forms page. Please log in to your PNASC account and click the forms link, within the Members Only section or at the bottom of the page.

    Not a member yet? Please click the "Join" menu and fill up an application.

  • March 02, 2018 9:24 PM | Glaizll Aeme Serna

    Dear Members, 

    Please see the letter below. It is a letter from the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) to Congress on the 2018 Commission on Mass Shootings. PNAA is one of the 96 organizations who joined AAN in the commitment to keep children, parents, families, teachers, responders, and administrators safe. We are writing to urge Congressional leadership to launch a bipartisan National Commission on Mass Shootings within the next thirty days.

    [If no image, click here to read letter]


  • January 30, 2018 10:31 PM | Glaizll Aeme Serna

    Please check out our President's Message section. President's Message - A Year in Review 2017 has been posted.

    Also check out our PNASC 2018 Lobby Day Contest. For more information, please see the prior news post.

  • January 23, 2018 9:31 AM | Glaizll Aeme Serna

    PNASC 2018 Lobby Day Contest
    Together Affecting Change
    Come and participate!

    BACKGROUND

    What is Lobby Day-? A day when nursing organizations including CANP (California Association of Nurse Practitioners) shows its strength at the State Capitol by bringing NPs face-to-face with legislators. Nurses learn about the coming year’s legislative issues and meet with legislators to help advance Nurse Practitioners agenda. This annual event is always exciting and inspirational, leaving participants empowered to continue the conversation at the local level.

    When is Lobby Day? May 1, 2018 at Sacramento, CA

    Current Senate Bill on agenda: SB 491 introduced by Senator Ed Hernandez (who is an Optometrist) authorizing Nurse Practitioners in CA full practice authority. Other healthcare bills which CANP support advocating for our patients will also be discussed.

    PNASC Lobby Day Contest Purpose:

    • Encourage Filipino-American nurses to have an active role in legislation.
    • Be knowledgeable on issues affecting nurses and healthcare.
    • Experience meeting with legislators locally and statewide and networking with other healthcare professionals.
    • Be engaged in issues affecting healthcare.

    CONTEST RULES:

    1. Must be a PNASC current member
    2. Submit an essay of 300 words or less to micnvelyep@aol.com by Feb 22, 2018 addressing: “Why do I want to attend Lobby Day with PNASC?"

    *** Winner will receive $300 reimbursement to help cover Lobby Day fee, travel & hotel. Winner will be notified by Mar 10, 2018.

     

    Together Affecting Change
    PNASC Legislative Committee

    Committee Members:
    Velma Yep (Chair), Dorian Tillano, Isidro Sarmiento & Adolfo Famas

    Mission statement:
    To establish an organized mechanism for keeping the general membership informed of current legislation and proposals for changes that will directly/indirectly affect the nursing profession.

    Recommended Action plans for 2017-2018 goals:
    a) attend Lobby day 2018 in Sacramento.
    b) attend local town hall meetings regarding issues on healthcare
    c) provide PNASC constituents and members of current healthcare legislative issues

  • October 08, 2017 9:00 PM | Glaizll Aeme Serna

    Legislative Wrap up:

    On September 11, Governor Brown signed SB 554 (Stone), which codifies in state law the recent changes in federal law, enacted by the CARA, the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act, that allow NPs and PAs to receive a waiver from the DEA and the authority to prescribe medication for opioid addiction treatment Buprenorphine..

    Existing federal law requires practitioners, as defined, who dispense narcotic drugs to individuals for maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment to obtain annually a separate registration with the United States Attorney General for that purpose. Existing federal law authorizes waiver of the registration requirement for a qualifying practitioner who submits specified information to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. Existing federal law, the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act of 2016, defines a qualifying practitioner for these purposes to include, among other practitioners, a nurse practitioner or physician assistant who, among other requirements, has completed not fewer than 24 hours of prescribed initial training, or has other training or experience as specified, and is supervised by, or works in collaboration with, a qualifying physician, if the nurse practitioner or physician assistant is required by state law to prescribe medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder in collaboration with or under the supervision of a physician.

    WHAT IS BUPRENORPHINE:

    Buprenorphine (Buprenex) is a class of opioid analgesics. This is a scheduled  III drug (controlled drug) which requires a prescribers DEA license (Drug Enforcement  Agency ) to prescribe. NPs and Pas typically who had completed prescribing hours has a DEA number.

    Buprenorphine is used in medication-assisted treatment (MAT) to help people reduce or quit their use of heroin or other opiates, such as pain relievers like morphine.Approved for clinical use in October 2002 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), buprenorphine represents the latest advance in medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Medications such as buprenorphine, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, provide a whole-patient approach to the treatment of opioid dependency. When taken as prescribed, buprenorphine is safe and effective.

    Unlike methadone treatment, which must be performed in a highly structured clinic, buprenorphine is the first medication to treat opioid dependency that is permitted to be prescribed or dispensed in physician offices, significantly increasing treatment access. Under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000), qualified U.S. physicians can offer buprenorphine for opioid dependency in various settings, including in an office, community hospital, health department, or correctional facility.

    Buprenorphine has unique pharmacological properties that help:    Lower the potential for misuse    Diminish the effects of physical dependency to opioids, such as withdrawal symptoms and cravings    Increase safety in cases of overdose.Buprenorphine is an opioid partial agonist. This means that, like opioids, it produces effects such as euphoria or respiratory depression. With buprenorphine, however, these effects are weaker than those of full drugs such as heroin and methadone.

    WHAT THIS MEANS TO US AND HOW IT AFFECTS HEALTHCARE:

    According to Stateline, only about 10 percent of individuals with a substance use disorder receive treatment. That shortage is largely due to a dearth of providers—particularly those authorized to prescribe buprenorphine, an anti-addiction medication that prevents withdrawal symptoms and curbs cravings, Stateline reports. A federal license is needed to prescribe the drug. To  help facilitate access to treatment, Congress in 2016 passed the Comprehensive Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act (CARA). Among other provisions, the law allows NPs and PAs to seek a federal license to prescribe buprenorphine. Previously, only doctors had been permitted to apply for such a license, and in the 15 years since the drug was approved, less than 39,000 doctors have sought the license.With the passing of the bill and the CARA Act there will be increase in treatment Centers  utilizing NPs and PA’s to combat opioid addiction which is a current healthcare epidemic .

    OTHER BILLS TO WATCH FOR:

    SB 799 by Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee chairman Jerry Hill passed out of the Legislature on September 13 and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. The bill extends the sunset date of the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) until 2022.  Every four years, boards operating under the Department of Consumer Affairs must undergo a “sunset review” process, by which the boards are evaluated by the Legislature and authorized to continue operating for another four years. Because the BRN protects patients while safeguarding the integrity of the nursing profession, including scope of practice and continuing education, THE California Association of Nurse Practitioners  is supporting SB 799.

  • October 01, 2017 9:00 PM | Glaizll Aeme Serna
    2017 Fall Conference photo album has been created. Please visit the page if you'd like to see the pictures.
  • September 11, 2017 9:00 AM | Glaizll Aeme Serna

    PNASC's 2017 Fall Conference is fast approaching.  Please don't forget to register online or download & mail the brochure below.



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