ATLANTA – State Representative Alan Powell (R-Hartwell) will receive the CAPRN Nurse Champion Legislator of the Year Award by the Georgian Coalition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Georgia (Georgia CAPRN/UAPRN). Rep. Powell will be presented with the award at a small, outdoor ceremony (following all CDC social distancing guidelines) on Thursday, October 1, 2020, at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, which is located in Rep. Powell’s House District.
“Georgia’s APRNs are one of our most selfless workforces, so it is an honor to receive such an award from these health care heroes,” said Rep. Powell. “I am grateful that the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation this year to help improve access to quality and efficient health care for Georgians by expanding the scope of care for APRNs. Senate Bill 321 is vital to ensuring that patients in areas with less doctors, like our rural communities, can receive their care in a timely manner.”
Rep. Powell was chosen for this award for his legislative efforts to remove obsolete restrictions imposed on Georgia’s advanced practice registered nurses through Senate Bill 321, which he sponsored in the House during the 2020 legislative session. The Georgia CAPRN/UAPRN commend Rep. Powell’s work with the bill’s co-sponsor, State Senator Chuck Hufstetler (R-Rome), to fight against opposition to secure passage of this legislation during the session. Through this award, the Georgia CAPRN/UAPRN seek to express appreciation for Rep. Powell’s leadership in standing for nurses.
Georgia is the only state in the country that has laws restricting APRNs from ordering routine radiographic imaging tests, such as CT Scans and MRIs, when working with their collaborating physician; this can cause delays in care and increased cost for Georgians. As such, SB 321 was passed to raise the number of APRNs who work underneath a doctor to four, and it also improves the scope of practice for APRNs by authorizing APRNs to order radiographic imaging tests in non-life threatening situations if directed to do so by a physician.
At the ceremony, nurses at St Mary’s will also be honored by Rep. Powell and the Georgia CAPRN/UAPRN for their efforts during the threat of COVID-19 and to celebrate the World Health Organization’s proclaimed “Year of the Nurse and Midwife.”
The Georgia CAPRN/UAPRN also believe that Georgia’s communities need improved access to health care and that there is no better year than 2020, the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife,” to push forward in these efforts. The Georgia CAPRN/UAPRN invites all nurses, citizens and Georgia legislators to join the movement for increased access to quality health care at www.GeorgiansUnitedforHealthcare.org.
For more information on SB 321, please click here.
Representative Alan Powell represents the citizens of District 32, which includes Franklin and Hart counties and portions of Madison County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1990 and currently serves as Chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee. He also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and the Governmental Affairs, Motor Vehicles, Public Safety & Homeland Security, Rules and Small Business Development committees.
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