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HR0511 |
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LRB095 12410 KBJ 37485 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Patients are at greater risk of injury, including |
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| skin tears, falls, and musculoskeletal injuries, while being |
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| lifted, transferred, or repositioned manually; and
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| WHEREAS, Safe patient handling can reduce skin tears |
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| suffered by patients by threefold and can significantly reduce |
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| other injuries to patients as well; and
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| WHEREAS, Health care workers are reported to lead the |
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| nation in work-related musculoskeletal disorders; and
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| WHEREAS, Between 38% and 50% of nurses and other health |
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| care workers will suffer a work-related back injury during |
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| their career; 42% of these workers will be unable to return to |
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| work in their pre-injury job; and
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| WHEREAS, The use of proper body mechanics by health care |
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| workers does not eliminate the risk of injury; and
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| WHEREAS, Assistive patient handling equipment and devices |
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| have essentially rendered the act of strict manual patient |
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| handling unnecessary as a function of nursing care; therefore, |
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| be it
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HR0511 |
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LRB095 12410 KBJ 37485 r |
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| the Illinois House of Representatives shall convene an |
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| interagency Safe Patient Handling Task Force; this Task Force |
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| shall study safe patient handling policies and create |
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| recommended policy guidelines for all health care facilities to |
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| eliminate the manual lifting of patients by direct-care |
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| registered nurses and other health care providers through the |
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| use of mechanical devices, except in life-threatening |
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| situations or in an emergency; the recommended policy |
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| guidelines shall provide protection for registered nurses and |
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| health care providers for refusal of assignment and a |
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| whistleblower provision; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Safe Patient Task Force shall include |
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| the following members or their designees: the Director of |
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| Public Health, the Director of Aging, the Director of |
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| Healthcare and Family Services, the Secretary of Human |
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| Services, and the Secretary of Financial and Professional |
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| Regulation; that the Task Force shall also include, but is not |
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| limited to, the following members appointed by the Director of |
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| Public Health: one member of a statewide organization |
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| representing registered professional nurses, one direct care |
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| nurse currently practicing in a hospital, one direct care nurse |
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| currently practicing in a long-term care setting, one physician |
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| licensed to practice medicine in all its branches, one physical |
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HR0511 |
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LRB095 12410 KBJ 37485 r |
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| therapist, one member of a statewide organization representing |
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| hospitals, and one member of a statewide organization |
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| representing long-term care facilities; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Department of Public Health shall be the |
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| lead agency on the Task Force and that the citizen members of |
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| the Task Force may be reimbursed for actual travel expenses; |
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| and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That the Safe Patient Handling Task Force shall |
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| submit a report to the General Assembly detailing its |
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| recommendations and findings by January 1, 2008.
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