Hills and Dales Hospital President and CEO Andrew Daniels testified April 25 in the House Health Policy Committee on legislation removing timelines on disposal of sharps containers. Senate Bill (SB) 482, which was initiated by the MHA following member feedback, alters current requirements on sharps container disposal that result in increased costs and contribute to unnecessary medical waste.
Sponsored by Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City), the bill removes the current requirement that sharps containers be disposed of every 90 days and instead aligns Michigan with national standards allowing for sharps containers to remain in use until they are filled to the ¾ mark. The removal of the 90-day timeline will allow for extended life of underutilized containers, reduce costs for hospitals and reduce waste of empty or near empty containers. The MHA supports this legislation.
Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw) also introduced legislation to license and regulate temporary healthcare staffing agencies offering services in Michigan. The legislation would require licensure with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and require those agencies to ensure proper staff licensure and recordkeeping. Additionally, it would prohibit those agencies from prohibiting temporary staff from taking full time assignments at healthcare facilities and limit the profits of those agencies to no more than 25% of the current market rate. The MHA supported legislation was referred to the House Health Policy Committee.
Members with questions should contact Elizabeth Kutter at the MHA.