left to wonder when their states will pass similar workplace safety
legislation to protect their long-term health.
"It's a great day for the profession anytime we can help ensure the
safety of our nurses," says Donna Policastro, RNP, ED, executive direc-
tor of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. "As one state repre-
sentative said, it was a no-brainer. Hopefully it will inspire other states
to pass similar legislation."
Ms. Policastro, who was instrumental in lobbying for passage of the
bill, has a message for nurses who want to work in smoke-free envi-
ronments: "You have to work hard to educate your legislators," she
says. "Don't assume they know anything about the dangers of surgical
smoke."
Army of one
Nurses in California
thought they, too,
would be working in
smoke-free ORs by
now, but Gov.
Edmund Brown
vetoed a bill last
October that would
have mandated surgi-
cal smoke evacuation.
Lauren Fujhara,
MN, RN, CNOR, CNS,
clinical nurse special-
ist at Ronald Reagan
UCLA Medical Center
in Los Angeles, Calif.,
4 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J u l y 2 0 1 8
• Only device to exceed ISO 16571:2014
minimum 90% smoke capture efficiency
• Captures nanoparticles to protect
health of perioperative team
• Captures bioaerosols to protect patients
from potential post-operative infection
(952) 345-1112
info@nascentsurgical.com
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