AARP WV, WV Nurses Association Address H.B. 4334 Law Enforcement Concerns

CHARLESTON (March 2, 2016) - AARP West Virginia and the West Virginia Nurses Association today addressed concerns raised by West Virginia’s law enforcement community over House Bill 4334, legislation currently pending in the West Virginia Senate that would allow skilled, trained advanced practice registered nursing professionals to practice to the full extent of their education, training and ability.

“With respect to the West Virginia Sheriffs’ Association’s concerns specifically centered on prescribing authority of Schedule II drugs, House Bill 4334 limits the authority of West Virginia advance practice registered nurses to prescribe no more than one, 72-hour dosage of these medications with no refill,” said AARP West Virginia State Director Gaylene Miller. “The legislation, in its present form, does not grant full practice authority to West Virginia’s nurse practitioners and advance practice registered nurses.”

Twenty-one other states and the District of Columbia allow advance practice registered nurses to practice to their full authority. None of these states are among the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Top Ten list of states for painkiller prescriptions. More than half of the states that have adopted full practice authority for advance practice registered nurses eliminated these restrictions between 1977 and 2005.

“Every state with full practice authority permits nurse practitioners to prescribe controlled substances Schedules II – V. With the limited practice authority safeguards in place in the West Virginia legislation, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that limited Schedule II authority for nurse practitioners would contribute to the prescribing epidemic in the Mountain State,” said Beth Baldwin, President of the West Virginia Nurses Association.

The legislation, which would improve access to primary health care in rural communities, was the subject of extensive discussion and debate in both the House Health Committee and the House Government Organization Committee, where it was advanced with no amendments. The West Virginia House of Delegates approved the bipartisan legislation on a 72-20 vote, without floor amendments, on Saturday, Feb. 27.

The bill is pending in the West Virginia Senate Health Committee for further consideration.