Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/197709
Nurse Media_3 2/24/11 5:49 PM Page 12 Nurse Talk RN hosts Dan Grady and Casey Hobbs cutting it up in the studio "Especially in terms of health policy, the voice of those of us at the bedside—the nurses—is missing or ignored in the mainstream media, and it's a credible voice that the public should have direct access to," said DeAnn McEwen, a critical care RN and a CNA/NNOC copresident. "We see the effects of our failed social policy at the bedside because we see patients and their families' lives deteriorating along with the economy and the environment. We can connect the dots for people. Our voice would be one of advocacy to influence healthy policies and reset the nation's moral compass." This spring, NNU is helping GRITtv with Laura Flanders launch The Nurses' Station, a new segment of its daily, 30-minute progressive current affairs program that airs on Dish network and DirecTV on cable and public television stations nationwide, and is also available online. GRITtv approached the nurses because of our public fights to extend Medicare for all, nurse-to-patient ratios, and our ground-breaking political campaigns taking on corporate money in politics and candidates such as Meg Whitman. Recognizing that nurses are respected as the most ethical profession, and are out there mobilizing when so many seem to be disengaged, GRITtv producers see nurses as progressive role models. Collaborating on the segment was a natural for NNU because we want to broadcast our message in a variety of platforms, and know that nurses are hungry for real depictions of their lives and concerns. The Nurses Station would tackle news headlines and other issues of importance to nurses and patients, but with a nursing twist. For example, the January shooting in Arizona of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, which also killed six in the crowd, was covered around the clock from much the same angle by all the major news organizations. Was the alleged gunman, Jared Loughner, a druggie? Was he a left-winger or a right-winger? Was he a disturbed loner? GRITtv producers approached the story from a big-picture angle by interviewing Tucson registered nurse Rexanne Darnell about the severe cutbacks the state has made to mental health services and Medicaid programs. These kinds of mental safety net programs might have helped avert this tragedy. "We're seeing very, very violent patients and patients who, sadly, haven't been hospitalized for years and years," said Darnell during a 12 N AT I O N A L N U R S E "Nurses have to tell their stories, because though everybody claims to know nurses, rarely do nurses speak for themselves in media of their own creation," said Lighty. "This is the only way to convey the reality of the decisions, interventions and experiences of nurses at the bedside." GRITtv interview. "They're coming and saying, 'I used to get a good medication and I used to have a case manager who followed me and helped me. But now I have nothing. I'm terrified to leave my house.' They're becoming more and more paranoid and staying in where they're at. They can't go and seek help for themselves. It's up to us to monitor, to help, to assist them because they don't know when their needs are not being met." The Nurses' Station plans to explore many more issues of concern to RNs and the wider public, including how Obamacare is affecting individual states and how RNs in states such as Texas and Florida have managed to organize despite traditionally anti-union climates. And since RNs understand that patient health doesn't just depend on how many vegetables a person eats or what kinds of medications a person takes, the program will also delve into how forces such as the economy influence health and health access, and even international issues. "This segment is where the grit of everyday nursing meets the analysis of our healthcare system to form a unique, compelling program," said Michael Lighty, director of policy for the California Nurses Association/NNU. "Media looks for sensational stories. GRITtv covers the stories that change lives." Experts who have studied the image of nurses in the general media agree. "Nurses are patient educators and are therefore the best professionals to present health information to the public," said W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2011