Senator Nancy Barto Thursday received the Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award from the Arizona Rural Health Association. She earned the award for her dedication to promoting rural health in Arizona and for her service to the rural healthcare community.

Senator Barto has been a long time advocate for healthcare in Arizona’s rural communities. In 2009 she sponsored HB 2164, which allows pharmacists who are certified by the Board of Pharmacy to administer certain immunizations to adults without a prescription. This is vital in areas where patients must drive long distances to reach a doctor.

In 2011 Senator Barto sponsored SB 1030, which allows a certified physician’s assistant to prescribe Schedule I and Schedule II controlled substances 30 days instead of 14 days. This bill promotes better healthcare in rural communities that rely on physician’s assistants for many of their primary care needs.

Most recently, Senator Barto has displayed outstanding leadership by sponsoring SB 1362, authorizing the Arizona State Board of Nursing to certify registered nurses as registered nurse anesthetists. This bill benefits hospitals in rural areas where there are shortages of anesthesiologists. Senator Barto also sponsored an amendment to HB 2364, which established groups to study and provide input on new inpatient methodology. It was Senator Barto’s amendment that required stakeholders to include representatives from both rural and critical access hospitals.

The Arizona Rural Health Association, a group devoted to advocating on behalf of the health needs of rural Arizonans, recognized Senator Barto as an outstanding legislator dedicated to promoting the group’s mission, the preservation and enhancement of rural health in the state of Arizona.