National Nurses United

J A N U A R Y | F E B R U A R Y | M A R C H 2 0 2 1 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 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 11 W hen a patient is ill or injured—unable to breathe, or fresh from open-heart surgery—registered nurses outline the path toward healing by developing a care plan. We synthesize our observations and the data we collect with our assessment of the patient into a diagnosis and formulation of a plan of treatment. We can also make a care plan for our country when it's in crisis. In 2020, National Nurses United assessed what it would take to combat Covid-19, and we got to work, writing to countless agencies demanding optimal protections, speaking up in thousands of media reports, and holding more than 2,000 protests across the country. NNU nurses won some protections for ourselves, our patients, and our communities—only as a result of our unrelenting collective fight. In 2021, under a new presidential administration, we are building on last year's fight to accomplish even more. NNU has outlined in great detail what it would take to combat Covid-19, and we shared that care plan with the Biden administration's interim Covid-19 task force, as President Biden was preparing to take office. We are relieved and proud that the plans and executive orders President Biden has released and signed thus far in his presi- dency show that he has been listening to NNU nurses. For example, one of the main tenets of our nurses' care plan is "fully protecting nurses and other essential workers." We applauded Biden in his first days in office for championing increased production of personal protective equipment (PPE), through activating the Defense Production Act, as well as calling for a federal Occupa- tional Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) emergency temporary standard on infectious diseases. NNU nurses have been advancing both of these demands for a year. We are also calling for programs that will reduce the negative impacts of this pandemic. Our women-dominated work- force has never been recognized or compensated for the risks we bear, and we should have access to paid sick and family leave and paid time for isolation after every work-related exposure. This must include paid time in isolation when an employee is waiting for Covid-19 test results, and when an employee is asymptomatic. And let's be clear that our workforces should receive increased pay, or essential worker pay. Nurses have been infected with Covid because their employers have failed to protect them, with many experiencing long- term health impacts that prevent them from being able to return to work for weeks to months. A comprehensive plan to combat Covid must include long-term health bene- fits for nurses who contract Covid-19 and survivor benefits for families of nurses who die because of this virus. This year, our fight is only getting stronger and our voices are only growing in resonance, as we continue to advance our care plan to heal this pandemic. On Jan. 27, thousands of nurses stood up all across the country in a national day of action, demanding hospitals put patients first. These events launched a year of major contract negotiations for NNU nurses, including some of the most profitable and mammoth corporate hospital chains in the United States, such as HCA Healthcare, Sutter Health, and Dignity Health, which is owned by CommonSpirit. Together, the contract negotiations cover nearly 45,000 registered nurses and respiratory therapists, aides, technicians, and other health care workers across the country. We also started the year with a big victory for patients and nurses in California when the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced it will not approve any new expedited waivers of the state's landmark safe staffing ratios, and all existing waivers ended Feb. 8. It was our collective action as a union that defeated the money and lobbying power of the hospital industry. Building on our 2020 victories, including the historic victory at Mission Hospital in Asheville, NC, we are also already growing our numbers in 2021. Registered nurses at Sutter Coast Hospi- tal in Crescent City, Calif. and at Sutter Center for Psychiatry in Sacramento brought union representation to their facilities after voting in January to join the California Nurses Association (CNA). RNs at John Muir's Behavioral Health Center in Concord, Calif. also voted to join CNA in late February. Welcome, John Muir and Sutter nurses! And by now, so many of you and so many of your patients have received vaccinations. We know vaccines will never replace strong workplace protections, but we are heartened that this level of protection has been made available to so many nurses who want to be vaccinated. It's a new year, but our fight has never wavered. We will heal this pandemic. In 2021, we are already being heard, all the way to the White House, and that means everything. Bonnie Castillo, RN is executive director of National Nurses United. Bonnie Castillo, RN Executive Director, National Nurses United Caring Out Loud Our fight is unrelenting in 2021, and our voices are louder than ever In 2021, under a new presidential administration, we are building on last year's fight to accomplish even more. NNU has outlined in great detail what it would take to combat Covid-19, and we shared that care plan with the Biden administration's interim Covid-19 task force.

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