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THE BEST RESOURCE FOR NURSE PRACTITIONERS LIKE YOU.
April 2022 Newsletter
Thank you!
Thank you for all your hardwork and professionalism in serving on the front lines of Covid-19. We appreciate you!
NP RESOURCES
Visit our regional NP groups.
NPAA Store Open for Business!
Visit the NPAA Store! The store is featuring NPAA items like:
  • t-shirts,
  • portfolios,
  • tumblers,
  • bags,
  • phone wallets and
  • lapel pins.
Membership Corner:
Calling all CRNP’s: As the new year is beginning and we roll into May, we want to call on all of the CRNP’s in Alabama to join the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama. NPAA is a strong community and has done so much for us across the state but there is more to be done. Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”. This is never more true than now. 
MESSAGE FROM NPAA PRESIDENT, Joyce Loyd-Davis
Greetings Members and Supporters,

We have been busy the last month closely watching bills and forming relationships in legislation.  As you know HB369 and SB217 (Rad Tech) both stalled in committee.  There were several people and organizations present to speak against the bills.  We are thankful to have Lisa Pair and Eileen Myers leading our legislative team, ensuring bills do not pass limiting our practice in Alabama.  The legislative session has closed for the year and we will continue to review possible future legislation that will expand our scope of practice in Alabama.  If you would like to become involved in this effort, please reach out via email and we will have a committee chair respond with additional information.

I also had the opportunity to attend the AANP Policy Conference in Washington, DC in March along with Eileen Meyers and Lisa Pair.  The conference provided great sessions, opportunities to network and engage the AANP Leadership.  We will share information with the Executive Team and the Steering Committee at our quarterly meeting on Saturday April 23, 2022.

There was a conference meeting in Mobile, AL during the month of March.  We had an opportunity to tour the facility and work on conference logistics.  We are excited about the annual conference being held in Mobile and just note the plans are shaping up nicely.  We are certainly trying to capitalize on the Silent Auction, as it will benefit scholarship opportunities this year.  If you are able to acquire any items for Silent Auction or if you have any leads, please reach out to myself or Denise Williams.  

As we transition into a new season and begin our spring cleaning, let’s remember not only to declutter our homes but our minds also.  Certainly remember to take some time for self-care!  I appreciate each of you and your commitment to our organization.


Sincerely,

Joyce Loyd-Davis

Legislative Update:
Dr. Lisa S. Pair, VP of Policy
The 2022 Legislative Session has adjourned. I was able to spend time advocating for NPAA at the State House. I met the House and Senate Health Committee members and other legislators to begin relationship building. I am thankful for my mentor extraordinaire for her support this session: Dr. Eileen Meyers.

To update everyone on the session results: There were a total of 339 bills introduced in the Senate and 534 bills introduced in the House of Representatives. From this total of 873 bills, Governor Ivey signed 172 bills that have become official Acts. Governor Ivey has another 96 bills for review and action.

We monitored weekly introduced bills and followed bills as they progressed through the session. The number of bills monitored were: 

Nine Covid Bills for which all stalled in committee; and

Fifteen other Bills for which only one passed - HB268 below.

NPAA actively supported three bills and opposed two companion bills.

NPAA publicly supported :
  • HB268 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, specify that practice is in coordination with licensed physician or podiatrist. They held a public hearing and this bill was passed.
  • Senate Bill 27, Health Care, require health insurer to act on prior authorization request or supplementation to prior authorization request within 72 hours of receipt about prescriptions. This bill stalled in committee.
  • SB 120 Optometrists, practice of optometry further provided, Board of Optometry to regulate, to issue advisory opinions and declaratory rulings. They held a public hearing, but this bill stalled in committee.

NPAA opposed SB 217 and HB 369 - provide for the licensing and regulation by the State Radiation Control Agency of health care personnel performing medical imaging for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. There was a public hearing for which NPAA members and other professions (PAs and CRNAs) spoke in opposition of this bill. This bill stalled in committee. We fully anticipate this problematic legislation regarding attempts to regulate CRNPs and radiation therapy will resurface next year. We hope to work with the Alabama Association of Radiology Technologists and MASA to exempt CRNPs from this bill sone none of the APP are exempt. Thank you to all who called or emailed their state legislator and who participated in the public hearing.

NPAA 16th Annual Conference
Call for Abstracts
Join us for the 16th Annual Conference in at the Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel in Mobile, Alabama.

NPAA cordially invites you to submit an abstract in evidence-based practice to be considered for a podium presentation at the 2022 conference.  Please note that presentations should include best practices in advanced nursing practice and include updates in pharmacological treatment and advances related to the topic. Scholarly projects, original research, and quality improvement projects with outcome data are also of interest to the panel. 
Dr. Robin Lawson Elected as
Alabama's AANP State Representative
Congratulations to NPAA's Robin Lawson DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC, NP-C, FAANP who was elected as Alabama's AANP State Representative.

Thank you for all you do to represent nurse practitioners and their interests.