Bill mandating child abuse education for health providers rejected by New Hampshire House
The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted, 193-177, Thursday to kill a bipartisan proposal aimed at strengthening child abuse and neglect training among medical providers.
Rep. Carol McGuire, an Epsom Republican, called the bill 'a very well-meaning bill that is totally impossible to implement' and 'unnecessary.'
House Bill 493, sponsored by Concord Democrat Rep. Gabby Grossman, would've required physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants treating patients age 18 or younger to complete child abuse and neglect education. That education would've had to be at least one hour, and be accredited and recognized by the New Hampshire chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics as addressing the necessary subject matter. The bill was amended since it was first introduced.
McGuire took issue with the fact that the bill has the Board of Medicine mandating the training for nurse practitioners, who are governed by the Board of Nursing. She also noted that the Board of Medicine and Board of Nursing can both already require this training themselves, and she said she's heard from the employers of doctors and nurse practitioners who say they already often require their employees to do this type of training. She pointed out that a version of the training has already been made available for free online — by HB 493's sponsors — that providers can decide to do on their own.
Still, supporters wanted the training mandated and didn't want to wait on the boards or employers of providers.
'This bill is the result of findings that include that there are New Hampshire children that have been abused or neglected but have been missed or not reported by New Hampshire health providers with tragic outcomes,' one of the bill's supporters, Derry Republican Rep. Jodi Nelson, said. 'And that voluntary training in identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect has been made available to New Hampshire health care providers but very few have enrolled.'
Nelson said she'd heard stories of infants arriving at the hospital with atypical bruises and debilitating disabilities that weren't reported to the authorities at the Division for Children, Youth, and Families. She said the issue 'isn't New Hampshire specific; it's a problem throughout the U.S.'
This isn't the first time lawmakers have tried to enact this rule. In 2024, House Bill 1590, a similar piece of legislation, was introduced in the House but failed to become law. It referred the bill to interim study, and as a result, lawmakers brought forth HB 493 in 2025, an altered version of the previous attempt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
WIRED
17 hours ago
- WIRED
How to Clean Your Mattress No Matter How Gross It Gets
From barf to blood, your stained mattress isn't necessarily beyond repair. Here's how to salvage your investment from every worst-case scenario. Courtesy of Amazon; Getty Images All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. It's important to know how to clean your mattress. Not just for day-to-day cleanliness and hygiene, but let's say you're dealing with an emergency—a 'my mattress is ruined" situation where you have the frantic energy of an emergency clean-up crew. Is a trip to the dump inevitable? Not necessarily. Before you think, 'I'm so clean, this would never happen to me!' I'm telling you, it can. I've seen a lot over the course of my career as a professional mattress tester and certified sleep coach. If you plan to have your mattress for its full eight- to 10-year lifespan, you'll want to keep it as pristine as possible. I chatted with cleaning influencer and third-generation janitor Brandon Pleshek of Clean That Up to see how he would approach the common situations below. Scenario 1: Someone Peed the Bed Life happens, sleep happens, and sometimes bladder control is an issue. This can be common at any age, from little kids to seniors. Or, maybe your pet had an accident. I've been there. Time is of the essence with this situation, to avoid a stain and—more urgently—smells from taking root. According to Pleshek, the quicker you address a fresh urine stain, the better. 'Speed is gonna help,' he says. 'The longer you let the urine sit, the more it'll soak in, and the harder it'll be to get it completely out.' According to Pleshek, urine contains a lot of salt. It will require more heavy-duty cleaning agents to adequately get it out. The solution of choice: enzyme cleaners, like Nature's Miracle ($13). 'Enzymes are your best approach right away, because those can attack the urine stain instantly,' says Pleshek. Extracting via a Shop-Vac or portable carpet cleaner is also a great first step. 'Suck as much of that out as possible so that it can't go deeper. Enzymes help with odor.' When it comes to using enzymes, Pleshek cautions, 'You have to make sure to let them sit for as long as they say on the label. Enzymes need time to work. The label's the law, so do your best to follow it and that'll help things clean up better.' Now, let's say that you don't have an enzyme cleaner handy. For fresh urine, using a clean towel or paper towels, blot at the stain to pick up as much moisture as you can. Grab a spray bottle (Pleshek says in a pinch, you can just grab a spray nozzle off a bottle you have and stick it on the bottle you're using) and put together a cup of white vinegar, two cups of cold water, and a few drops of either dish soap or laundry detergent. Mix well, and then spray down the affected area. After 10 to 15 minutes, grab a fresh towel or paper towels to blot up the solution. Then sprinkle baking soda over the stain like there's no tomorrow. Once the spot is fully covered, leave it alone for eight to 10 hours—again, use your judgement based on how bad the stain is. Once Mount Baking Soda has dried up, and enough time has passed, you can vacuum it all up using a hose attachment. One note: Be wary of over-saturating your mattress. Leaving liquid behind can cause mold and mildew within your mattress. 'Anytime you're getting your mattress wet: vacuum, vacuum, and then when you think you're done at vacuuming and extracting that out with a little spotter machine, do it two more times,' Pleshek says. 'Always put a fan on it and get good airflow through the room.' Scenario 2: Your Period Arrived Early Looks like you have a crime scene on your hands: the crime being the mattress mess. Blood stains are a pain when it comes to removing them from any fabric, and mattresses are not exempt. Periods aren't the only situations where blood could mysteriously appear; healing cuts, scabs, and nosebleeds are also common. The miracle cleanup go-to for bloody situations, according to Pleshek, is hydrogen peroxide. Pleshek's cleanup process is this: 'Grab a brown bottle, get a basic spray bottle, and mist the area where the blood is. Let it sit.' It'll have a small reaction akin to a middle school science experiment, but that's good. Leave it alone for a good 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size and severity of your stain. 'What's kind of cool and fun about cleaning up blood with hydrogen peroxide is that you will see it bubble and it vanishes really fast,' adds Pleshek. 'Follow up with a damp towel and blot a bit to remove the stain.' Scenario 3: 'Mom, I Threw Up' Courtesy of Nature's Miracle Time is, once again, of the essence here. 'Vomit is extremely acidic,' says Pleshek. Depending on what was eaten, whether that be food or medication, it can make bile even more acidic than is typical. You need to act quickly to address the stain—and the smell. If any vomit made its way onto the mattress itself, remove any residual solids off the surface—you may want to wear gloves for this one. Enzyme cleaner is once again going to be your go-to. However, removing the excess vomit is a crucial step—you can't just spray it on top of the mess as is and hope for the best. According to Pleshek, the enzyme cleaner isn't going to be able to efficiently do its thing if all the excess hasn't been adequately removed first. Scenario 4: Food Stains I don't think you're going to be spilling chili all over your bed like Kevin in that scene from The Office , but I won't discount any possibilities. First, Pleshek says to grab a spray bottle, a tablespoon of dish soap, and warm water. From there, 'lightly agitate it with a toothbrush or soft material to suspend the soil.' Follow with a spotter machine. If something has the tenacity to stick around even after that, time to bring back our friend hydrogen peroxide. 'Mist [the stain] with hydrogen peroxide, and let it sit. The hydrogen peroxide should be able to pull out the color,' Pleshek says. He suggests doing this as a multistep process, because hydrogen peroxide and a degreaser don't work well simultaneously. While this two-prong approach may take more time and evaluation as you go, it's the recommended way to tackle the stain. Save the Day, Your Mattress, and Your Sanity This is one of my nonnegotiables, and it's backed by Pleshek: Get a waterproof mattress protector or encasement. It may save you a lot of heartache from big messes. These cleanup tips hopefully prove to be helpful. But from experience, you may breathe one big sigh of relief when you just have to handle bedding and not the bed itself by using one of these as a fail-safe.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Department of Veterans Affairs looks to end certain abortion services for veterans
The US Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing to end certain abortion services to veterans, rolling back a Biden-era move to expand abortion rights. In a proposed rule filed Friday, the department said that it is seeking to revoke access to abortions and abortion counseling for veterans and the beneficiaries of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 'We take this action to ensure that VA provides only needed medical services to our nation's heroes and their families,' the department said in the filing. Under the Biden administration's rule, the department currently provides access to abortions when a pregnant veteran's life or health is at risk if their pregnancy were carried to term, or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest — regardless of state laws. The proposed rule would allow abortions in cases where 'a physician certifies that the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term,' which, according to the filing, had been permitted even before the 2022 expansion. The Biden-era rule was part of the administration's efforts to expand abortion access after Republican-led states pushed ahead with restrictions in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the federal right to an abortion. The VA argued at the time that it was necessary to give veterans access to abortions, saying, 'As abortion bans come into force across the country, veterans in many States are no longer assured access to abortion services in their communities, even when those services are needed.' But on Friday, President Donald Trump's VA slammed the Biden administration's rule, calling it federal overreach. 'The stated reason for (the expansion) was a reaction to a Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization … that itself was intended to prevent federal overreach and return to States control over the provision of abortion services,' the filing states. 'Yet, the last administration used Dobbs to do the exact opposite of preventing overreach, creating a purported Federal entitlement to abortion for veterans where none had existed before and without regard to State law.' Twenty states have banned or limited access to abortion. States where abortion is limited report higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, as well as greater economic insecurity. The proposed rule will now be open for public comment for 30 days starting Monday. In his first term, Trump made good on campaign promises and appointed Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. Since that ruling, Trump has been keen to leave regulations over the issue to state governments. The Trump administration has overall been quiet on the issue of abortion in his second term. However, in June, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services moved to rescind a 2022 federal guidance to health care providers specifying that people should be able to access an abortion in the event of a medical emergency, even if state laws restrict such procedures. CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi and Jen Christensen contributed to this report.
CNN
a day ago
- CNN
Department of Veterans Affairs looks to end certain abortion services for veterans
The US Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing to end certain abortion services to veterans, rolling back a Biden-era move to expand abortion rights. In a proposed rule filed Friday, the department said that it is seeking to revoke access to abortions and abortion counseling for veterans and the beneficiaries of the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. 'We take this action to ensure that VA provides only needed medical services to our nation's heroes and their families,' the department said in the filing. Under the Biden administration's rule, the department currently provides access to abortions when a pregnant veteran's life or health is at risk if their pregnancy were carried to term, or if the pregnancy was the result of rape or incest — regardless of state laws. The proposed rule would allow abortions in cases where 'a physician certifies that the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term,' which, according to the filing, had been permitted even before the 2022 expansion. The Biden-era rule was part of the administration's efforts to expand abortion access after Republican-led states pushed ahead with restrictions in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the federal right to an abortion. The VA argued at the time that it was necessary to give veterans access to abortions, saying, 'As abortion bans come into force across the country, veterans in many States are no longer assured access to abortion services in their communities, even when those services are needed.' But on Friday, President Donald Trump's VA slammed the Biden administration's rule, calling it federal overreach. 'The stated reason for (the expansion) was a reaction to a Supreme Court decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization … that itself was intended to prevent federal overreach and return to States control over the provision of abortion services,' the filing states. 'Yet, the last administration used Dobbs to do the exact opposite of preventing overreach, creating a purported Federal entitlement to abortion for veterans where none had existed before and without regard to State law.' Twenty states have banned or limited access to abortion. States where abortion is limited report higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, as well as greater economic insecurity. The proposed rule will now be open for public comment for 30 days starting Monday. In his first term, Trump made good on campaign promises and appointed Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. Since that ruling, Trump has been keen to leave regulations over the issue to state governments. The Trump administration has overall been quiet on the issue of abortion in his second term. However, in June, the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services moved to rescind a 2022 federal guidance to health care providers specifying that people should be able to access an abortion in the event of a medical emergency, even if state laws restrict such procedures. CNN's Veronica Stracqualursi and Jen Christensen contributed to this report.
