Senator Butler introduced SB 19 in January
before it was referred to the Senate Health and
Human Services Committee, which will likely call
another round of hearings. Ms. Ulmer, though, feels
the bill is well-positioned to succeed, partly because
Senator Butler just became the Minority Leader of
the Georgia Senate — the first
woman to do so in either party.
She gave the televised Democratic
response to Republican Governor
Brian Kemp's annual State of the
State address. Before doing so,
she texted Ms. Ulmer and told her
to watch. Toward the end of her
15-minute speech, Senator Butler
said she would introduce legisla-
tion to address the nursing short-
age, expand telemedicine and ...
require proper ventilation in oper-
ating rooms.
Ms. Ulmer was overjoyed by
the mention. "Senator Butler has
been an angel for us," she says.
"Everything we've been able to
accomplish in Georgia is because
of her."
Ms. Hohn will testify again in
support of SB 19 if she's called. In
the meantime, her battle against
cancer is going well. "I'm doing
much better," she says. "The
tumor has shrunk significantly,
and I can walk up stairs without
having to sit at the top to take a
breath. I've come a long way."
Ms. Hohn and Ms. Ulmer warn
OR professionals that the harmful
effects of surgical smoke expo-
sure are cumulative. The two
nurses are somewhat stunned
that many still don't realize the
risks posed by the smoke they
breathe in the OR. "When you
smoke cigarettes, you're smoking
processed tobacco," says Ms.
Ulmer. "Surgical smoke contains
blood, tissue and bacteria."
Ms. Ulmer hopes to help push the latest Georgia
bill over the finish line and wants similar laws
passed in other states. "We're committed to helping
nurses across the country," she says. "I hope we can
make a difference."
OSM
M A R C H 2 0 2 1 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 2
7
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*The Spine Journal (Feb. 2020) 20(2):166-173
unevacuated smoke
021721
