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Letter from the Council of Presidents we hope you���ve been having a relaxing summer so far and have been able to squeeze some downtime into your schedule. But, as you are probably all too aware, a nurse���s work is never done, and the same goes for the RN members of National Nurses United. This spring and summer, the nurses of southern Maine have been fighting the takeover of Eastern Maine Medical Center���s dialysis clinics by a giant for-profit corporation based in Colorado called DaVita. DaVita has a spotty track record, and if it succeeds in its bid to buy EMMC���s dialysis operations, that means patients with end-stage renal disease in a large chunk of Maine will have no other option but DaVita for their lifesaving treatments. The 9,000 RNs NNU represents within the Veterans Affairs system are celebrating the settlement of a new master contract that will vastly improve their working conditions. It���s their first NNU contract, and the new agreement finally standardizes policies and procedures across the entire VA system so that VA nurses will all be treated equally and fairly. So congratulations to these nurses caring for our country���s veterans! And since this is the summer of a general election year, July and August have been hot months for political activity that will really kick into high gear come fall. In California, nurses are supporting Proposition 30, which would NATIONAL NURSE,��� (ISSN 2153-0386 print/ISSN 2153-0394 online) The Voice of National Nurses United, July/August 2012 Volume 108/5 is published by National Nurses United, 2000 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. It provides news of organizational activities and reports on developments of concern to all registered nurses across the nation. It also carries general coverage and commentary on matters of nursing practice, community and public health, and healthcare policy. It is published monthly except for increase taxes slightly on the state���s richest families to raise money for schools and other public services, and working to defeat Proposition 32, which would make it very hard for unions to participate in electoral politics. In Michigan, RNs are on a campaign to expose the platform of Rep. Dan Benishek, a physician who has said that he wants to privatize and end guaranteed Medicare benefits for seniors. Stay tuned in upcoming issues for more election-related news. And, finally, every summer we publish our special book review section with an array of interesting and diverse titles to peruse. We���ve often felt that the best part about reading book reviews is you get to learn something without having to read the whole book. But if a book captures your imagination, you always have the option of seeking out and reading the whole thing. We hope you enjoy this year���s offerings. Summer���s almost over, so rest up while you can. This fall will surely be a busy one, and we���ll need all our nurses ready for whatever comes our way. Deborah Burger, RN | Karen Higgins, RN | Jean Ross, RN National Nurses United Council of Presidents combined issues in January and February, and July and August. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California. POSTMASTER: send address changes to National Nurse, 2000 ��� Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. To send a media release or announcement, 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. Stay connected www.facebook.com/NationalNurses @RNmagazine, @NationalNurses FLICKR: www.flickr.com/nationalnursesunited YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/NationalNursesUnited FACEBOOK: TWITTER: Please contact us with your story ideas They can be about practice or management 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 RoseAnn DeMoro EDITOR Lucia Hwang GRAPHIC DESIGN Jonathan Wieder COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Charles Idelson CONTRIBUTORS Gerard Brogan, RN, Hedy Dumpel, RN, JD, Jan Rabbers, Donna Smith, David Schildmeier, Ann Kettering Sincox PHOTOGRAPHY Jaclyn Higgs, Tad Keyes, Erin FitzGerald