National Nurses United

NATIONAL NURSE,™ (USPS publication permit number 0807-560/ISSN 2153- 0386 print /ISSN 2153-0394 online) The Voice of National Nurses United, Janu- ary-February-March 2019 (Volume 115/1) is published by National Nurses United, 155 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612- 2908. It provides news of or ganizational activities and reports on developments of concern to all registered nurses across the nation. It also carries general coverage and commen tary on matters of nursing practice, community and public health, and healthcare policy. It is published quarterly, with combined issues in Janu- ary-February-March (winter), April-May- June (spring), July-August-September (summer), and October-November- December (fall). Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, Cal- ifornia. POSTMASTER: send address changes to National Nurse, ™ 155 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. To send a media release or announce- ment, fax (510) 663-0629. National Nurse™ is carried on the NNU website at www.nationalnursesunited.org. For permission to reprint articles, write to Editorial Office. To subscribe, send $40 ($45 foreign) to Subscription Department. Please contact us with your story ideas They can be about practice or manage- ment trends you've observed, or simply something new you've encountered in the profession. They can be about one nurse, unit, or hospital, or about the wider landscape of healthcare policy from an RN's perspective. They can be humorous, or a matter of life and death. If you're a writer and would like to contribute an article, please let us know. You can reach us at nationalnurse@nationalnursesunited.org EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bonnie Castillo, RN EDITOR Lucia Hwang GRAPHIC DESIGN Jonathan Wieder COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Sarah Cecile CONTRIBUTORS Barb Brady, Gerard Brogan, RN PHOTOGRAPHY Jaclyn Higgs, Tad Keyes, Sarah Maple, Choppy Oshiro at the beginning of every year, the Gallup Poll releases its public opinion survey of the country's most honest and ethical professions, and we are deeply honored to say that registered nurses have topped the list for almost two decades running. That's a lot of moral authority and, we would argue, also a lot of responsibility. As we nurses survey the society around us, we know that many of us are deeply disturbed by what we see. The world is not a good or safe place right now for millions of the earth's people. The crises of global inequality, of climate catastrophe, and of xenophobia played out among nation states is perhaps no better apparent than what we are cur- rently witnessing at the United States' southern border. Our Registered Nurse Response Network program usu- ally responds to disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires, but we go wherever there is a need for expert, com- passionate nursing care. This year, we had the opportunity to provide medical care and support in Tucson, Ariz. to Cen- tral American migrants recently released from federal detention who are seeking asylum in the United States. Our RNRN volunteers were humbled to be able to bear witness to the heartbreaking and unimaginable stories of trauma and violence that patient after patient relayed to them; not only tales of the suffering they experienced in their home countries, but later in the custody of U.S. federal authorities. Our nurses were able to offer some compassion, care, and medical expertise to these families on their journey in search of a better life. You can read more about their RNRN mis- sion and how it changed them in this issue of the magazine. Situations like these convince us, more than ever, that we nurses must organize, build power, and use our unparal- leled authority to heal and transform the world. We must help reenvision society to prioritize the needs of people over the needs of corporate profits. We must fight back and lead. It starts with our workplaces, and extends out into our com- munities. Join us. Deborah Burger, RN | Jean Ross, RN | Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN National Nurses United Presidents Letter from the NNU presidents Stay connected FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/NationalNurses TWITTER: @RNmagazine, @NationalNurses FLICKR: www.flickr.com/nationalnursesunited VIMEO: www.vimeo.com/NationalNursesUnited DIGITAL MAGAZINE: NationalNurseMagazine.org

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