S. 1475 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1475 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES August 1, 2013 Mr. Merkley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To establish the position of National Nurse for Public Health, to be filled by the same individual serving as the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the National Nurse Act of 2013. 2. National Nurse for Public Health Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 1711. National Nurse for Public Health (a) Establishment (1) In general An individual designated as the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service under section 205 shall be designated by the Secretary as the National Nurse for Public Health. Such Chief Nurse Office shall serve full-time within the Office of the Surgeon General. (2) Designation Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall designate the individual serving as the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service on such date as the first National Nurse for Public Health. Subsequent designations shall occur in accordance with Commissioned Corps Instruction CC23.4.6 (relating to Chief Professional Officer Nominations), as in effect on February 13, 2008. (b) Rank and grade The National Nurse for Public Health shall have the same rank and grade as the Deputy Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. (c) Duties The National Nurse for Public Health shall carry out the following: (1) Provide leadership and coordination of Public Health Service nursing professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and other agencies of the Public Health Service, including providing representation for the Government of the United States at the Global Forum for Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers and serving as a member of the Federal Nursing Service Council. (2) Represent the Surgeon General and the agencies of Public Health Service in communications with groups and societies concerned with nursing issues at the local, State, national, and international levels. (3) Provide guidance and advice to the Surgeon General and the Nurse Professional Advisory Committee on matters such as standards, recruitment, retention, readiness, and career development of nurses employed by and contracted with agencies of the Public Health Service. (4) Conduct outreach and education for purposes of paragraphs (5) through (7). (5) Provide guidance and leadership for activities to promote the public health, including encouraging nurses and other health professionals to be volunteers and developing projects that educate the public about and engage the public in prevention practices to achieve better health. (6) Provide guidance and leadership to encourage nurses to engage in furthering their education in order to conduct nursing research, increase the awareness of evidence-based practice, and educate future nurses. (7) Provide guidance and leadership for activities that will increase public safety and emergency preparedness. (d) National health priorities—Healthy People 2020 (1) In general The National Nurse for Public Health, in cooperation with the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service, heads of the agencies of the Public Health Service, States, and organizations that represent health professionals, shall participate in the identification of national health priorities. (2) Addressing national health priorities The National Nurse for Public Health, in addressing national health priorities, shall encourage volunteerism of nurses and other individuals, and strengthen the relationship between Government agencies and health-related national organizations. (3) Community-based projects (A) Implementation In addressing national health priorities, the National Nurse for Public Health shall— (i) provide guidance and coordination on recommended activities to organizations; (ii) acknowledge successful programs and encourage their replication; (iii) promote the dissemination of evidence-based practice in educating the public on health promotion and disease prevention activities; (iv) encourage practicing nurses and other health professionals, including retired health professionals and students enrolled in health professional programs, to participate in health promotion activities and replicate successful health promotion activities; and (v) monitor activities being conducted through the collection and evaluation of data to determine if national health priorities are being addressed. (B) Outreach and education The National Nurse for Public Health shall ensure that outreach and education conducted under subsection (c)(4) include diverse approaches, including social media campaigns, to address national health priorities. (C) Evaluations The National Nurse for Public Health shall participate in evaluating the national, regional, and community-based activities encouraged by the National Nurse for Public Health and conducted by community- based, nonprofit organizations to determine the extent to which such activities have succeeded in carrying out national health priorities. (D) Dissemination of information The National Nurse for Public Health shall disseminate information to governmental agencies, schools, and community-based, nonprofit organizations interested in health promotion and improving public health through community action. .