Latest news with #SB526
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposed law would give relief to residents whose neighborhood is covered in thick layers of grime: 'You could literally taste it'
Sun Valley residents have watched dust settle over their streets, their cars, and even the air they breathe for years. Thick layers of grime coat the neighborhood, kicked up by nearby industrial sites that process and store construction materials like concrete and asphalt. Complaints have piled up just as high as the dust, but little has changed — until now. State Senator Caroline Menjivar has introduced Senate Bill (SB) 526, pushing for stricter regulations on aggregate facilities so that neighborhoods can breathe easier, according to the San Fernando Valley Sun. "With each complaint having gone unresolved, residents have given up on hoping the government addresses their concerns," said Menjivar. "That ends today." These facilities release fine dust particles known as PM10, which can seep into homes, settle on playgrounds, and cause serious respiratory issues. Yet, the regulations meant to keep them in check haven't been updated since 2006. If passed, SB 526 would strengthen oversight and force these businesses to take real steps to control pollution. Facilities would need to install taller fencing to keep dust from escaping, limit the height of storage piles near homes and schools, and set up air quality monitoring systems at their boundaries. If they repeatedly exceed pollution limits, they'd be required to enclose their storage piles and undergo frequent inspections until they comply. Sun Valley is home to 11 aggregate facilities within a three-mile radius, including AMH Recycling, the largest in the San Fernando Valley, which sits directly across from homes, a park, and two elementary schools. Residents say the pollution is impossible to ignore. "Residents' cars were covered in a dust so thick you could literally taste it, and yet neighborhood kids were playing soccer in a park across the street from the facility," said Ian Bertrando, a UCLA law student who did research in the area. According to Mariam Moore, CEO of The Climate Corps Initiative, the "intrusion of industrial facilities" in Sun Valley has worsened the community's public health crisis. Long-term exposure to this type of pollution can lead to asthma, chronic respiratory diseases, and other serious health problems. Menjivar made it clear that the bill isn't about shutting down the industry but about forcing it to operate responsibly. "I'm not trying to get rid of them," she said. "But they need to be top-notch neighbors." The bill is advancing with a window for amendments, and Menjivar's team is focused on rallying support from community members and environmental justice groups. If passed, it could set a precedent for other communities facing similar environmental injustices, proving that residents don't have to accept pollution as an unavoidable part of life. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Senate passes Holocaust education, pharmacist prescription bills
Mar. 26—dbeard @ MORGANTOWN — The state Senate on Wednesday passed a Holocaust education bill and a pharmacist prescription bill and sent them to the House of Delegates. SB 54 is the Holocaust bill. It says, "In collaboration with and utilizing guidance from the West Virginia Commission on Holocaust Education ... all public schools located within this state shall give age-appropriate instruction on the Holocaust, the systematic, planned annihilation of European Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany, a watershed event in the history of humanity, to be taught in a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, and an examination of what it means to be a responsible and respectful person." Lead sponsor Sen. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, said that 25 years ago he met a Holocaust survivor (the late Edith Levy, of Morgantown) who was an advocate for helping West Virginians understand the Holocaust. They established the Commission on Holocaust Education and created a resource facility for teachers. This bill, he said, will require that valuable instruction so students will be able "to see the world in a different light going forward." Bill co-sponsor Sen. Jack Woodrum, R-Summers, said many in the Senate have had the privilege of meeting Holocaust survivors and soldiers who liberated the camps. But many younger people will nave have that opportunity. "This is important for us to be able to educate them about this atrocity so it never happens again, " he said. The vote was 34-0. SB 526 is the Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act, "to authorize pharmacists to practice the full extent of their education and training to prescribe low-risk medications to patients." The bill allows pharmacists to prescribe drugs — except controlled substances — for conditions that do not require a new diagnosis, have a diagnostic test that is waived under federal guidelines as "simple laboratory examinations and procedures that have an insignificant risk of an erroneous result, " or are patient emergencies in the pharmacist's professional judgment. It allows the pharmacist to notify, within 72 hours, the patient's primary care physician of the test results and the drugs prescribed. It limits a prescription supply to 30 days and requires the pharmacist to notify the PCP if more than a 10-day supply is prescribed. The vote was 33-1, with Health chair Laura Chapman, R-Ohio, voting no.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
State Senate considers bill to allow pharmacists to write prescriptions under certain conditions
Mar. 10—MORGANTOWN — West Virginia pharmacists could be granted a limited authority to write prescriptions under a bill working its way through the state Senate. The Senate Government Organization Committee gave its blessing to SB 526 on Monday morning and it heads to the Senate floor. The bill is called the Pharmacist Prescribing Authority Act, "to authorize pharmacists to practice the full extent of their education and training to prescribe low-risk medications to patients." It would allow prescribing of drugs for conditions that do not require a new diagnosis ; are "minor and generally self limiting "; have a diagnostic test that is waived under federal guidelines as "simple laboratory examinations and procedures that have an insignificant risk of an erroneous result, "' or are patient emergencies in the pharmacist's professonal judgment. This was the second committee to review the bill and discussion was minimal. Krista Capehart, state Board of Pharmacy director of professional and regulatory affairs, told the senators that this bill or something similar is in play in 24 states. In answer to a question about liability, she said pharmacists carry medical malpractice insurance based on the type of pharmacy they work for and the type of services provided. The Senate Health Committee previously took up and approved the bill on Feb. 20. Health chair Laura Chapman, R-Ohio, is the bill's lead sponsor. The bill saw more hashing over in Health, with Capehart fielding a series of questions. While the bill doesn't define "minor and generally self limiting, " she said it refers to a condition that would heal on its own but a prescription could accelerate healing. If the condition doesn't resolve within a certain period, the patient would be required to see a physician or advanced practice provider. She cited the recent southern West Virginia floods as an example of a situation where a pharmacist prescription would be helpful for a condition that doesn't require a new diagnosis. The floods washed away half of a pharmacy, and the patients can't get refills at nearby pharmacies because the ruined one has the prescriptions. Capehart also cited a coule examples of emergencies. In one case, the patient went into anaphylaxis and she happened to know the patient had a prescription for an epinephrine pen, so she was able to grab one and administer it. West Virginia has no such provision, she said. In another case, a patient suffered an asthma attack but the pharmacist had no authority to administer an inhaler, and the patient was lost. On a question about situations where it might be necessary to know a patient's medical history, Capehart said many pharmacies are connected to health system electronic medical records. Capehart also appreciated a question about potential perks or kickbacks for recommending certain drugs. She said pharmaceutical representatives don't eave samples at pharmacies. They might stop by to let the pharmacist know they visited area providers so the pharmacy can stock new drugs, or to drop off informational brochures. Provisions already exist, she said, for pharmacies to charge point-of-care fees for providing services of this type. Both committees approved the bill in voice votes with no audible objections.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Who's to blame for Florida's ‘unacceptable' national nursing exam pass rate?
Florida ranks last in the pass rate of the national licensure exam for nurses. () Florida is racing against time to avert a projected shortage of 60,000 nurses by 2035, and the national licensure exam is a big obstacle to that mission. Although the state saw the most first-time testers in 2024, it also posted the worst pass rate in the country on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX). Floridians trying to earn a registered nurse license scored six percentage points below the national average of 91.16% and those trying to become practical nurses scored eight points below the 88.38% national average, according to the annual report from the Florida Center for Nursing. 'This is unacceptable and it's why we're here today,' Republican Rep. Kaylee Tuck of Lake Placid said of the test scores during a Feb. 19 meeting of the House Health Professions and Programs Subcommittee she chairs. Tuck noted the importance of the pass rate against the Florida Hospital Association's estimate that the state could see a shortage of nearly 60,000 nurses in 10 years when the demand is expected to be more than 370,000. Lawmakers sought answers from nursing school administrators ahead of the start of the legislative session on March 4. The 2024 scores were the highest in a decade, and most of the change has come from an improvement by the private, for-profit nursing schools, which offer 60% of all nursing programs in Florida, according to FCN's report. NCLEX data show that since 2020 private, for-profit schools have improved their pass rates by more than 30 percentage points in programs preparing people to become registered nurses. However, students in these programs have pass rates as much as 10 percentage points lower than those in public and private nonprofit schools. An analysis by the Florida Department of Health presented to lawmakers pointed to the for-profit sector's performance. The Florida Board of Nursing has placed 71 RN and PN for-profit programs on probation during the past five years, compared to 30 public and private nonprofits. The board places programs on probation when their pass rates lag more than 10 percentage points behind the national average for two years in a row. Pedro De Guzman, president of for-profit HCI College in West Palm Beach, argued against the state's focus on the first-time pass rate and said raising qualifications for applicants too much would lead to fewer students enrolling. 'Everybody's focused on this pass rate because we're at the bottom, and Florida doesn't want to be at the bottom of anything unless it's a golf score,' De Guzman told lawmakers during the House subcommittee panel. He said HCI has averaged a 94% pass rate in the past four years. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE One lawmaker who wants to place greater emphasis on the NCLEX pass rate is Republican Sen. Gayle Harrell of Stuart. She filed a bill, SB 526, on Feb. 6 requiring the board to place programs on probation if they don't meet the standard in one year instead of two. Programs whose directors don't submit improvement plans within six months after their probation period starts would shutter under the bill. Harrell wants to require failing schools to pay for students' remedial programs to retake the exam. 'What do we as state appropriators, as state legislators who write the laws and the requirements, what can we do to improve that and make us not last but first?' Harrell asked a panel of nursing school administrators during the Feb. 12 Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education. Administrators asked lawmakers in both chambers for continued investments in grants to help fund student scholarships, purchase equipment, and bolster faculty recruitment. As part of the Live Healthy Act, which then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo spearheaded last year, the state put $5 million toward grants for nursing schools. Only programs with at least a 75% NCLEX pass rate can apply for the money. Administrators pointed out the diversity of nursing students in the state, both in age and cultural background, as a possible explanation. De Guzman and Audria Denker, 'chief experience officer' with the for-profit Galen College of Nursing, said its average student is 31 years old. Galen College operates four campuses in Florida with a pass rate of 94% for RNs and 96% for PNs, Denker said. 'Life is hitting them in the face,' De Guzman said. 'They've got kids to take care of, they've got jobs. In the ideal nursing world, your directors of nursing would love your nursing students to be 18, 19 years old, be at home with mom and dad, not have to work, and just focus their entire 24/7 on becoming a nurse. And I admire that goal. It's not realistic, and that's not what's happening in Florida.' Kimberly Fenstermacher, Palm Beach Atlantic University's dean of nursing, told House members that students' preparedness for college-level science and math courses had dwindled since the COVID-19 pandemic. The university is a private, nonprofit institution. 'If anything is going to deter a student from progression in the nursing program, it is going to be failure of chemistry, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, and math,' Fenstermacher, who has been a nursing educator for 15 years, said. West Palm Beach Democratic Rep. Jervontae Edmonds asked administrators on Feb. 19 whether they would consider offering their curricula in another language. The College of Nursing at the University of Florida is looking to offer a course in medical Spanish, said Dean Shakira Henderson. HCI would only offer classes in Spanish if the NCLEX were also offered in the language, De Guzman said. Republican Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, who is from Miami, filed a resolution, SR 672, on Feb. 12 requesting that the National Council of State Boards of Nursing administer the exam in Spanish. Florida students who took the NCLEX a month after graduating had the highest pass rate, 94.32%. Others who took the test last year had graduated years earlier. Patricia Gagliano, Dean of Nursing at Indian River State College, and John Monda, director of the Lorenzo Walker Technical College in Collier County, wanted lawmakers to limit how many months after graduation students can take the exam. 'Students can come one, two, three, four, five, six, seven years after they've completed our programs and go take the exam,' Monda told senators on Feb. 12. 'It just doesn't seem like a scientific approach that we're setting ourselves up for success for demonstrating what the students have learned.' More than 800 students took the exam more than a year after finishing their programs and their pass rate dwindled to 48.61%, according to the FCN report. 'We tend to want to put a quick band-aid on something and say we did something, but then there are all these other holes in the boat or cracks in the foundation where the house can't stand,' said Parkland Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who brought up the middle schoolers' decline in math and reading scores. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
