Representa Christine E. Canavan This is Me

Education

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1. 1. www.siskiyoudaily.com

   www.siskiyoudaily.com/state_ne - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/11/2008   Last Visited: 6/11/2008

   Christine Canavan, D-Brockton, the bill would require the state Department of Public Health to place a limit on the number of patients a nurse is responsible for each shift.
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   Canavan, the state representative from Brockton, hopes this bill will decrease the nursing shortage, in addition to creating better overall hospital conditions.
   
   "I promised my colleagues I wouldn't forget them, the important work they did and the conditions they worked under when I became a legislator," Canavan said.

2. 2. Incumbent State Legislators Endorsed | Massachusetts AFL-CIO

   www.massaflcio.org/printable/n - [Cached]

   Published on: 8/31/2006   Last Visited: 12/18/2007

   • Representative Christine Canavan, 10th Plymouth

3. 3. www.christinecanavan.com

   www.christinecanavan.com/backg - [Cached]

   Last Visited: 5/1/2007

   State Representative Christine E. CanavanSTATE REPRESENTATIVE
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   State Representative Christine E. Canavan, border=0 width=
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   The door to Representative Canavan's Office at the Statehouse.
   
   Representative Christine E. Canavan has represented the 10th Plymouth District on Beacon Hill since 1993.This district currently includes all of Ward 6, precincts B, C and D of Ward 5 and precincts B and C in Ward 4 in the City of Brockton, all of West Bridgewater and precinct 3 in Easton. Representative Canavan graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts in 1988.She is also a 1983 cum laude graduate of the Massasoit Community College School of Nursing.Prior to her election to the Massachusetts State Legislature, she worked as a registered nurse in the Brockton area.
   
   In 1989, she was elected as the Ward 5 member of the Brockton School Committee.She served on that committee from 1990 to 1993, and was elected by her colleagues as Vice Chair of the committee in 1992.
   
   Since her election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, she has served on many committees, including the Joint Committee on Insurance, the Joint Committee on Human Services and Elder Affairs, and the Joint Committee on Housing, among others.She served as the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Health Care until her recent appointment as Chairwoman of the Second Floor Division.She has also served as a member of the Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling and continues to serve as a member of the Special Legislative Committee on Foster Care and the Special Legislative Committee on Cervical Cancer.
   
   The Representative has been at the forefront of health care and health profession issues and constantly works to improve the quality of health care in the Commonwealth.She was successful in establishing a Special Commission on Nursing and Nursing Practice and served as the House Chair of that Commission.In 2002, this Commission reported on the current state of nursing care in the Commonwealth, including the patient to nurse ratio in hospitals and the nursing shortage crisis.Representative Canavan has also sponsored bills promoting safety in the workplace for nursing and medical personnel including the "Needlestick" and "Whistleblower" laws.She has amassed many legislative successes including the passage of legislation that requires newborns to have a hearing screening test prior to their discharge from the hospital, and legislation that requires out of hospital dialysis units to adhere to patient/staff ratios of 3 to 1 in order to provide maximum safety for all patients.Another recent legislative accomplishment was the passage of H. 1663, An Act Relative to the Prompt Pronouncement of Death by a Nurse Practitioner.She has worked for nine years on passing a "Safe Staffing for Nurses" bill, which came to the House floor for a vote for the first time in 2006.Although passed by the House, the Senate never voted on that bill, and Representative Canavan continues to fight for its passage in the 2007-2008 legislative session.In the 2005-2006 legislative session, she was the chief sponsor of H.1087, a bill to give school nurses professional teacher status, and was successful in its passage, which included both an amendment and a veto from Governor Romney which had to be overridden.
   
   Representative Canavan received a distinct honor four years ago when two nursing colleagues established a new graduate student fellowship named on her behalf at the University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth School of Nursing.
   
   Representative Canavan has championed multiple causes on Beacon Hill and has been victorious in many of her endeavors.She was successful in bringing additional State Police Patrols to the City of Brockton during the summer months.She fought for the approval of legislation that protects the elderly in public housing developments.The Representative was also successful in her fight to implement new safety initiatives for excavation and trench construction sites.Most recently, Representative Canavan was successful in legislating an increase in the annual stipend that members of the Commonwealth's Hazardous Materials Response Teams are entitled to receive.
   
   The Representative has been involved with veteran's issues, including advocating for a bill that amends the definition of a veteran, which has since become a law.Representative Canavan was also successful in her quest to set aside special days to commemorate two Massachusetts military units for their Civil War heroism.
   
   Representative Canavan has also been a strong advocate for the communities she represents, making sure that funds for projects and legislation that benefits her constituents are approved.She ensured that state funds were available for three new schools built in the City of Brockton and continues to work on legislation and the budget process to fund three other school projects.She also fought to ensure funding for the new addition to the main branch of the Brockton Public Library.The Representative is also a strong advocate for the YouthBuild Program.The program serves out-of-school youth who are in search of a path to economic independence and success. Representative Canavan and her colleagues work hard to increase the line item appropriation for this Program in the annual budget.The Representative was also successful in securing "pothole" money for the West Bridgewater Public Schools.She worked closely with West Bridgewater officials to secure funding for the new Council on Aging facility.She assisted the President of the West Bridgewater Grid Iron Club to secure lighting on the school playing fields.She was successful in securing funding for the expansion of Routes 106 and 28 in West Bridgewater.Most recently, keeping in mind the health of the Commonwealth's youth, she was able to obtain $250,000 in funding for a new soccer field in West Bridgewater.As a member of the Easton delegation, the Representative worked to secure and protect SBAB funding for new school construction.
   
   The Representative is often asked if she misses nursing and is amazed that people think bedside nursing is all that nursing is about!Representative Canavan tells us that she considers herself having never left nursing, only having moved into a specialty area!