Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1531149
RNs in Motion » 39 Make a Difference in Your Community GET INVOLVED RNs IN MOTION As a member of CNA, there are many opportunities for involvement — on the facility level as a nurse representa- tive/shop steward or in your community as a member of the local Metro Council. You can volunteer in our disaster relief efforts, or campaign for universal health care based on a single standard of quality care for all — improved and expanded Medicare for All. Stay Informed — Email Alerts As a member you will receive email alerts that will help you get involved and stay informed. Alerts will also pro- vide information on the latest developments affecting RN practice and patient care, and how and when to respond. Contact your CNA labor representative if you are not receiving email alerts. Volunteer By Joining Registered Nurse Response Network (RNRN) RNRN has a national roster of nearly 29,000 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. 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 MC 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. MCs also provide a forum to mobilize locally across facilities to implement the union's various campaigns for social justice and Medicare for All, and also to engage local community allies to expand our impact. MCs are the way we cultivate the collective power of nurses in our union towns and cities to participate fully in this essential work. Contact your CNA labor representative to learn more about the Metro Council. Influence Public Opinion in Your Community Send a letter to your editor Year after year 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 our national ratios law, workplace violence prevention, and bans on mandatory overtime. It's easy — look for email alerts that will direct you on how to take action. Encourage Supporters of Nurses to Join the Nurse Advocacy Network We know it takes a social movement to win many of the health justice reforms union nurses are seeking. That's why we launched the Nurse Advocacy Network, a community of dedicated nurses, health care workers, and community members who, through collective action, help to support and amplify our efforts to build a better, more inclusive health care system for us all. This is a great way for friends, family, and nurse friends or col- leagues not yet unionized to get involved. Through our workshop series, we've provided hundreds of activists with essential tools and resources needed to fight from the ground up. Supporters can sign up online at: www.nnu.org/joinNAN.