Lend Your Support: Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2019
As members of The American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN), it is important to understand what is happening at our local, state, and national levels, which impact the care we deliver to our patients. That is why we wanted to make you aware of the proposed bill Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2019.
This bill proposes a grant to be used exclusively in the emergency room department (ED) for education and resources specific to suicide screening and assessment. Over the next two years, $20,000,000 would be allocated to 40 eligible healthcare sites across the nation to bolster staff education in the ED, provide resources to properly assess a patient who has suicidal ideation or survived a suicide attempt, and to provide interventions to improve access to care for those at risk for suicide.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. As active health care professionals, this has impacted each of us in our professional (and sometimes personal) lives. This bill is a steppingstone to the health issues surrounding mental health. Although there are concerns of how sustainable this type of service would be, this grant would allow collection of important data during the two years to determine what impact the increased resources would have on this population.
Currently, this bill is in the first of five phases in both the House and the Senate. If you feel this is an initiative you would like to support, please notify your local congressman. Find out how to contact your representatives.
We are the front line of care for our patients, and by staying informed on what bills are available for our patients, we can continue to promote health and wellness for all populations we are so privileged to serve.
Funding for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs & the National Institute of Nursing Research for FY 2021
AAACN, along with 56 other members of the Nursing Community Coalition (NCC) signed onto letters to the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies outlining the funding request levels of $278 million for Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs and $182 million for the National Institute of Nursing Research for FY 2021.
AAACN Legislative Team
Members of the Legislative Team review legislative initiatives and determine if AAACN should support or not support legislation that will affect AAACN members and the practice of ambulatory care nursing.