The Georgia Nurses Association (GNA) reacted favorably to the U.S. Supreme Court's June 28 decision to largely uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The nursing professional organization, which has a mission to advocate for quality health care for all Georgians, said the ruling will allow the ACA to provide access to care for nearly 30 million Americans (including 1.9 million in the state) who are uninsured.
“There is a crisis in our emergency rooms when the uninsured overload the system with health conditions that could have been preventable through routine health care,” said Debbie Hackman, the GNA’s chief executive officer. “The ACA’s requirement of universal minimum coverage is an opportunity to provide insured routine and preventative health care and keep costs down for everyone.”
GNA officials said that nurses, who work on the front lines of the health care delivery system, know from experience that patients who delay needed health care often end up sicker and require much costlier care.
“Nurses are valuable members of the interdisciplinary health team and stand ready to transform the current bloated, uncoordinated, inefficient health care delivery system,” Hackman said. “The Georgia Nurses Association is also pleased the law provides for the growth and dissemination of long-standing, nurse-pioneered programs, such as nurse-managed health centers and the establishment of innovative models of team-based, patient-centered care delivery.”
Ethiopia grant: Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing has received $4.5 million from the Canadian International Development Agency for a four-year project designed to improve maternal and newborn survival rates in rural Ethiopia.
The project will be led by principal investigator Lynn Sibley, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, FACNM, an associate professor in the Emory School of Nursing, and co-investigator Dr. Abebe Gebremariam Gobyzayehu, in partnership with the Micronutrient Initiative.
New director: Travis Cochran, RN, BSN, is the new director of nursing resources at Piedmont Henry Hospital in Stockbridge. Cochran began his nursing career nine years ago at Piedmont Newnan Hospital before spending time on the West Coast as a traveling nurse.
In 2008 he came to Piedmont Henry Hospital, where he has worked as a staff nurse, night shift house supervisor and, most recently, as the hospital’s day shift supervisor.
Quality care designation: Northside Hospital-Atlanta and Northside Hospital-Forsyth have received the UnitedHealth Premium specialty center designation in recognition of quality care in cardiac services.
UnitedHealthcare developed the specialty center program to give its members information and access to hospitals meeting rigorous quality criteria. The designation is based on detailed information about specialized training, practice capabilities and outcomes and is designed to help members make informed decisions about cardiac services care.
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