REGARDING THE PRESIDENT'S SIGNING OF HR 5178,
THE NEEDLESTICK SAFETY AND PREVENTION ACT

November 6, 2000

Having worked for years to enact legislation to protect health care workers from accidental workplace needlestick injuries, I congratulate the President for signing HR 5178, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, into law today. I am a cosponsor of this important legislation. It is based on my earlier legislation, HR 1899, which had the support of more than 180 bipartisan members of Congress.

The need for a federal law to protect health care workers from needlestick injuries has been apparent for some time. There are more than 800,000 accidental needlesticks that take place each year in our country. Many of these injuries could be prevented through the use of safer technology that is readily available today. California was the first state to pass legislation to protect health care workers within its borders. Since passage of that law in 1998, many states have begun to follow suit. But, this is a national problem that deserves a national solution.

Enactment of this legislation will protect health care workers from needlestick injuries, assure that direct health care workers are involved in the selection of safety devices, and that reporting requirements are strengthened to assure we can use this data to minimize future injuries.

We would not be here today without the vigilant efforts of nurses, health care workers, and the organizations that represent them who have fought tirelessly for this day to come.

Our job is not done. Because of intricacies in federal law, this bill will not protect health care workers in every public hospital. We must still work together to accomplish that goal. However, that does not minimize the importance of what we’ve accomplished today. To put it as simply as possible, this legislation will save lives.

CONTACT: Debbie Curtis (202) 225-5065

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