BILL NUMBER: HR 35INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Harkey AUGUST 17, 2010 Relative to National Surgical Technologist Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, The Association of Surgical Technologists was officially created as a nonprofit educational association in 1969 with the support of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, the American College of Surgeons, and the American Hospital Association; and WHEREAS, Surgical technologists are responsible for the environmental disinfection, safety, and efficiency of the operating room, and their knowledge and experience with aseptic surgical technique qualifies them for a role of importance in the surgical suite; and WHEREAS, The surgical technology profession has grown to meet the continuing demand for well-educated, highly-skilled, and versatile individuals to work with surgeons and other skilled professionals to deliver the highest possible level of patient care; and WHEREAS, Surgical technologists are skilled professionals uniquely prepared for, and proud of their role on, surgical teams in hospitals across the country and in California, where an estimated 5,000 surgical technologists, of the nearly 90,000 surgical technologists nationally, are employed; and WHEREAS, Approximately 1,400 California surgical technologists hold certification in their profession from the two major certifying organizations for surgical technologists in the United States; and WHEREAS, Based on scientific evidence, the key role that health care personnel in surgical settings can play by taking specific steps to prevent surgical site infections for some operations has been underscored by both the National Surgical Infection Prevention Project and reported in The Joint Commission's 2007 Annual Report on Quality and Safety; and WHEREAS, The Joint Commission's 2007 Annual Report on Quality and Safety reported that surgical site infections were the second most common hospital-acquired infections in the United States; and WHEREAS, It is a primary function of surgical technologists and surgical assistants with proper education, training, and skills to administer patient care of the highest quality; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly recognizes and declares the week of September 19 through 25, 2010, as National Surgical Technologist Week in California; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.