National Nurses United

NATIONAL NURSE,™ (USPS publication permit number 0807-560/ISSN 2153- 0386 print/ISSN 2153-0394 online) The Voice of National Nurses United, January-February-March 2025 (Volume 121/1) is published by National Nurses United, 155 Grand Avenue, Oak- land, CA 94612-2908. It provides news of or ganizational activities and reports on developments of concern to all regis- tered nurses across the nation. It also carries general coverage and commen tary on matters of nursing practice, community and public health, and health care policy. It is published quarterly, with combined issues in January-February-March (win- ter), April-May-June (spring), July-August- September (summer), and October- November-December (fall). Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California. POSTMASTER: send address changes to National Nurse, ™ 155 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. To send a media release or announce- ment, 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. Please contact us with your story ideas They can be about practice or manage- ment 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 Bonnie Castillo, RN EDITOR Lucia Hwang GRAPHIC DESIGN Jonathan Wieder COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Sarah Cecile CONTRIBUTORS Rachel Berger, Lucy Diavolo, Kari Jones, Dawn Kettinger, Michelle Morris, Chuleenan Svetvilas, Martha Wallner PHOTOGRAPHY Jaclyn Higgs, Tad Keyes, Choppy Oshiro we understand if you want to just shut off the news and hunker down with a pint of ice cream and a Netflix show. We often feel the same way. But we are nurses. We confront hard truths and life- and-death situations daily. And our practice, our profession, is based in reality. The real- ity is that the United States is in crisis, and our patients need us now more than ever. It's no exaggeration to say that the current administra- tion's indiscriminate cuts of our federal agencies, particularly U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS), is an evisceration—a gutting, if you will—of our entire country's public health infrastructure. Placing people like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in charge of HHS signals that the federal government is not serious and does not care about protecting our people from disease, injury, and up to death. Cutting half of the Centers for Disease Control staff and 80,000 workers from the Veterans Health Administration, slashing $880 billion from Medicaid in order to fund contin- ued tax cuts for corporations and billionaires, and canceling National Institutes of Health research grants shouts loud and clear: "You are on your own! We bear no responsibility and have no obligation for your health and safety as a member of U.S. society. Actually, what's 'society'? We don't believe in collec- tive well-being and the greater good. If you are struggling with your health, that is your own individual problem." And let's not forget the attacks on immigrant and trans- gender care. The administration does not even view some of us as people. This cruel philosophy is directly at odds with the ethos of registered nurses and National Nurses United union mem- bers. We care for all, no exceptions. We understand that public health measures save lives. We see what happens when our patients have no primary care or Medicaid support. We experienced, through Covid, what happens when we are not prepared for a global infectious disease pandemic and we do not follow the science. We feel the suffering of our veterans when they cannot get a timely mental health appointment. We know that the water we drink, the air we breathe, the housing we live in, the education we attain, the jobs we hold— all heavily determine our health. So we nurses must stand up and fight. What the admin- istration and Department of Government Efficiency is doing is not healthy. It's not science. It's not best for our patients, ourselves, our communities, nor U.S. society. We know it's tempting to just keep cruising in your lane. But we are nurses. All lanes eventually lead to one lane: OUR lane. There are many opportunities for you to join in the fight. Check with your labor reps for more information. We trust we will see you there. Jamie Brown, RN; Nancy Hagans, RN; Cathy Kennedy, RN; Mary Turner, RN National Nurses United Presidents Letter from the NNU presidents Stay connected FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/NationalNurses TWITTER: @NationalNurses FLICKR: www.flickr.com/nationalnursesunited VIMEO: www.vimeo.com/NationalNursesUnited DIGITAL MAGAZINE: NationalNurseMagazine.org

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