Language provided by ANA.

This week, ANA supported the Medical Supply Chain Emergency Act. This legislation is introduced by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) in the U.S. Senate and Representatives Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and Tim Ryan (D-OH) in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill would force President Trump to implement the Defense Production Act (DPA).

If enacted, the President would be required to identify private sector capacity to produce no fewer than:

• 500,000,000 N95 respirators;
• 200,000 medical ventilators;
• 20,000,000 face shields;
• 500,000,000 pairs of gloves; and
• 20,000,000 surgical gowns.

This legislation would also require the Administration to control the distribution of the supplies to avoid unnecessary competition between states and healthcare institutions.

Regulatory

ANA CEO Loressa Cole and CNO Debbie Hatmaker had an opportunity to virtually share nurses’ concerns with the Department of Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia. Among the topics discussed on the call was the need to ensure guidelines for whistleblower protections if a nurse needs to speak out. As a result of the call, OSHA included a box on its whistleblowers.gov landing page that highlights that whistleblower protections apply to the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank Secretary Scalia for the expediency in addressing this issue.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in coordination with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), issued guidance that for the duration of the public health emergency, DATA-waived practitioners can prescribe buprenorphine to new and existing patients with Opioid Use Disorder for maintenance treatment or detoxification treatment following an evaluation via telephone voice calls, without first performing an in-person or telemedicine evaluation. This may only be done if the evaluating practitioner determines that an adequate evaluation of the patient can be accomplished via the use of a phone.

About the ANA

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's 4 million registered nurses. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all. Founded in 1896, and with members in all 50 states and U.S. territories, ANA is the strongest voice for the profession.

ANA is the mother association of the state nurses associations.