Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1521816
RNs in Motion » 33 Make a Difference in Your Community GET INVOLVED RNs IN MOTION As a member of NNOC, there are many opportunities for involvement — on the facility level as a nurse repre- sentative/shop steward, or in your community. You can volunteer for our disaster relief efforts and participate in campaigns for legislation that protects patients and nurses, including universal health care through improved and expanded Medicare for All. Stay Informed — Email Alerts Get involved and stay informed by signing up for email alerts. Alerts will also provide information on the latest developments affecting RN practices and patient care, and how and when to respond. Sign up online at: www.nationalnursesunited.org. Volunteer by Joining Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) RNRN has a national roster of more than 28,500 nurses ready to volunteer when disaster strikes around the country or around the world. Sign up to volunteer or donate to RNRN online at: www.rnresponsenetwork.org. Participate in Your Local Metro Council Metro Councils (MCs) provide a home for nurse activists outside the workplace in our local communities, where there are multiple facilities represented by NNOC/NNU. Through the Metro Council, nurses can make connections among members at unionized facilities in our regions about larger collective bargaining issues that have a cross-facility impact, such as contract campaigns and strikes. The Metro Council is also a venue for building working relationships of solidarity with nurses in non- union facilities with the goal of expanding organizing in the region and building the ranks of unionized nurses. Contact your labor representative to find out if there is a Metro Council in your area. Enroll in CE Courses Attend one of NNOC's innovative CE class series taught by our nursing practice and education and research departments. Course topics have included: Preserving Holistic Care — Protecting the science and art of nursing during Covid Workplace Violence — Prevention and advocacy for nurses RN Staffing Ratios — The necessity of regulated nurse staffing ratios to ensure patient safety and improved outcomes for hospitalized patients INFLUENCE PUBLIC OPINION IN YOUR COMMUNITY Send a Letter to Your Editor For 21 years, nurses have headed the Gallup annual poll as the most honest and ethical profession. When you speak up on health care and other issues, people listen. Letters to the editor are among the best-read sections of any newspaper. Letters are a short, effective way for you to directly reach the public. The voices of nurses are especially important, and we provide you with all the tools you need. Take Action on Legislation That Affects Our Profession and Our Patients Tell your legislator to support national and state bills dealing with issues of concern for our profession and our patients, such as legislation mandating national nurse-to- patient ratios and workplace violence prevention bills. It's easy — make sure you're signed up for email alerts that will direct you on how to take action. The Nurse Advocacy Network The NNU Nurse Advocacy Network (NAN) is a commu- nity of nurses and activists who mobilize to ensure that nurses and other frontline health care workers have the protections and safety standards they need to care for patients. NAN works to hold elected officials and other decision-makers accountable through collective action. NAN is a great way for friends, family, and nurse friends or colleagues not yet unionized to also get involved and provides nurses and activists with resources and training to be successful advocates. Sign up online at: www.nnu.org/joinNAN.