Amanda Heitman President of the North Carolina Council of Operating Room Nurses

The North Carolina Nurses Association is celebrating the passage of legislation that includes protections for operating room nurses from toxic surgical smoke. The language from HB390: Alleviate the Dangers of Surgical Smoke was signed by Governor Josh Stein on July 1 as part of a larger healthcare package and will take effect January 1, 2026. This language, championed by NCNA nurse legislators Representative Carla Cunningham and Representative Donna White, makes operating rooms safer by requiring hospitals to install filtration systems to remove harmful surgical smoke. Amanda Heitman, President of the North Carolina Council of Operating Room Nurses, joined Jeff Hamlin to discuss the legislation.