National Nurses United

Letter from the Council of Presidents whenever groups of registered nurses get together and start talking about their practice and their work, we find that they are often amazed to learn that they face the same problems and the same challenges, no matter what unit or state they work in. At our 2013 Staff Nurse Assembly this June, we learned that this same situation applies to nurses all around the world! International RN delegates from countries as varied as Ireland, Brazil, and South Korea, shared stories similar to U.S. nurses about how they are fighting for the resources they need to keep their fellow citizens healthy and their patients safe, and battling takeover efforts by those who see a profit to be made by privatizing healthcare. In fact, we had so many common issues that we decided to form a new group called Global Nurses United to coordinate and magnify our work. The global focus at our assembly this year was not limited to our direct nursing practice, but also applied to our broader role as health advocates for society. Most of us know that our patients need a clean and healthy environment if they hope to get better or avoid getting ill in the first place, but probably very few of us know what is in store for the human condition if we do not stall, stop, and reverse global climate change. Scientists predict that the earth's temperature will rise by at least 6 degrees Celsius, or 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit, by the year 2100. This spells Armageddon-like consequences for public health. NATIONAL NURSE,™ (ISSN 2153-0386 print/ISSN 2153-0394 online) The Voice of National Nurses United, June 2013 Volume 109/5 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 That's why nurses attending the assembly took the opportunity to rally and march across the Golden Gate Bridge in opposition to the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a project pending President Obama's approval that nurses and other activists say would be disastrous for global environment and health. You can read all about the staff nurse assembly and our demonstration in this issue of the magazine. Also in this issue, we take a moment to stop and evaluate what the Affordable Care Act has "reformed" about our healthcare system so far. The answer is: very little. Despite some modest expansions of coverage to some groups, the ACA leaves our profit-driven system untouched and, in addition, could do some very real damage to the profession of nursing as hospitals use it as an excuse to restructure RNs out of healthcare. One example, which you can read in the news section, is how Kaiser Permanente is already shifting patients into clinics and home and hospice settings when they should be getting inpatient nursing care. 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 DIGITAL MAGAZINE: NationalNurseMagazine.org 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

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