has been filed by Representative Kay Khan and Senator Joan Lovely. We have between now and February 1 to gather co-sponsors.

The bills (click on links below) have been assigned docket numbers, these are temporary numbers until such time that the clerks can assign permanent bill numbers. For now they should be referred to as:

SD 835 An act to improve access to care by removing barriers to practice for psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialists (Filed by Sen. Joan Lovely)

HD 2885  An act to remove barriers to practice for psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialists (Filed by Rep. Kay Khan)

(THE ABOVE BILLS ARE THE SAME ALTHOUGH THE TITLES ARE

SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT – IT DOESN’T MATTER)

HD 2902 An act providing signature authority for psychiatric nurse mental health clinical nurse specialists (Filed by Rep. Kay Khan).

Because CNSs and NPs are addressed in separate sections of Massachusetts law, there are two separate bills for independent practice: one for CNSs, one for NPs. SEE BELOW for a call to action to gather cosponsors for the NP independent practice bill, which MAAPPN also supports. That bill is called the SAVE bill: An Act to Support Access, Value, and Equity in Health Care.

HOW:  Please call your state senator’s and state representative’s offices. There were many changes at the Massachusetts State House during this past election. Find your state senator and state representative here: http://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema//bal/myelectioninfo.aspx. When you click on their names, it leads to their contact information.

WHEN you call your state senator’s and state representative’s offices, ask to speak with a legislative aide. Say that you are a constituent and give your full name and address. Ask the aide to ask the senator or representative to cosponsor Representative Kay Kahn and Senator Joan Lovely’s bill: An Act to Improve Access to Care by Removing Barriers to Practice for Psychiatric Nurse Mental Health Clinical Specialists. Get the aide’s email and follow up the call with an email to the aide including the bill and fact sheet. Ask the aide to get back to you with an answer.

It’d be great if you could personalize the message by giving examples of the shortage of mental health care in your district and saying how lifting the supervision requirement would help you offer better access to mental health care.