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The Bureau of Land Management updates a proposed Western Solar Plan to the delight of wildlife advocates, grant funding helps New York schools take part in National Farm to School Month, and children's advocates observe "TEN-4 Day" to raise awareness of child abuse.

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Biden voices concerns over Israeli strikes on Iran, Special Counsel Jack Smith details Trump's pre-January 6 pressure on Pence, Indiana's voter registration draws scrutiny, and a poll shows politics too hot to talk about for half of Wisconsinites.

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Cheap milk comes at a cost for residents of Washington's Lower Yakima Valley, Indigenous language learning is promoted in Wisconsin as experts warn half the world's languages face extinction, and Montana's public lands are going to the dogs!

CT to join national nurses' compact; other workforce solutions sought

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Thursday, May 16, 2024   

Connecticut is slated to join a national nursing compact.

House Bill 5058 got the General Assembly's approval and awaits Gov. Ned Lamont's signature. The legislation allows Connecticut nurses to get a license permitting them to work in other compact participating states.

Cassandra Esposito, president of the Connecticut Nurses Association, said while it can attract nurses to work in the state, it does not alleviate workforce issues nurses face.

"It has to do with working conditions," Esposito explained. "We look at staffing, we look at workplace violence, we look at ways that nurses do their job, and the things that are making them a little bit harder to do their jobs."

Legislation established better nurse-to-patient staffing ratios and implemented better hospital security. The Connecticut Nurses Association pushed to resolve some issues, ensuring the compact was right for the state.

Lawmakers worked to address impacts to programs like HAVEN with an amendment that also develops a working group supporting compact implementation and addressing any unintended consequences. After three years, the working group will evaluate the efficacy of the compact on Connecticut.

Nationwide workforce shortages are not the only thing straining nurses. Burnout and mental health issues only aggravated by the pandemic are causing people to leave the field. Esposito argued barriers to nurses seeking help must be removed so the workforce thrives.

"Provide them with options," Esposito emphasized. "If your health care workers aren't well, the health care workers themselves suffer. The workforce itself suffers, patients, health care delivery as a whole suffers, so we really need to do more to take care of the mental health of our nurses."

Among respondents to an American Nurses Foundation survey, 64% said they feel stressed because of their job. Stress and other factors led to the national turnover average of nurses being as high as 37%, depending on location and specialty.


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