Cheryl Buckley
00738216
ODU On Site
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements in the course NURS 471: Community Health Nursing II Old Dominion University NORFOLK, VIRGINIA Spring 2011
Community Health: Virginia Legislature Senate Bill 1098 The purpose of this assignment is to introduce and involve the student nurse in their state legislative process. The decisions made at the state legislative level affect all aspects of daily life, including health issues. As student nurses, it is important to be aware of potential decisions and laws that will directly affect the care and wellbeing of patients, the community, and the profession in general. This paper will explore one health issue that has been introduced as part of the 2011 Virginia General Assembly Legislative Session.
Statement of the Issue and Related Bill
There have been well over 100 health related bills introduced in Virginia’s current General Assembly session. Senate Bill 1098 was introduced on January 11, 2011 and referred to the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services on the same day (Virginia General Assembly, 2011). This bill would require alcohol retailers to post “a sign in a conspicuous location that bears a warning regarding the risk of consuming alcohol during pregnancy” (Virginia General Assembly, 2011, B-12). The purpose of this bill is to decrease the number of alcohol related birth defects by increasing awareness and education. This bill is related to the issue of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, which can result in Fetal Alcohol
References: Center for Science in the Public Interest. (2008). State action guide: Mandatory point-of-purchase messaging on alcohol and pregnancy. Retrieved from http://cspinet.org/pdf/state_action_guide.pdf. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/fasd. Denny, C., Tsai, J., Floyd R., & Green, P. (2009). Alcohol use among pregnant and nonpregnant women of childbearing age – United States, 1991-2005. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 58(19), 529-532. Florida Office of Drug Control, (2009). Florida’s drug control strategy. Retrieved from http://www.flgov.com/drugcontrol. Floyd, R., Weber, M., Denny, C. & O’Connor, M. (2009). Prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 15, 193-199. Virginia General Assembly. (2011). Senate Bill 1098. Retrieved from http://legis.state.va/gov.