Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/1537380
NATIONAL NURSE,™ (USPS publication permit number 0807-560/ISSN 2153- 0386 print/ISSN 2153-0394 online) The Voice of National Nurses United, April-May-June 2025 (Volume 121/2) is published by National Nurses United, 155 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94612- 2908. It provides news of or ganizational activities and reports on developments of concern to all registered 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 (winter), 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 it has been a chaotic spring, to say the least. Every which way we turn, our public health institu- tions and every other agency that heavily influ- ence our social determinants of health are under attack. Whether it's the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, NIOSH, the Veterans Health Administra- tion, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or Medicaid, everything is on the chopping block under the pretense of improving "efficiency" and getting rid of "fraud and waste." Looking at the track record of the leaders the current administration has put in charge of our public health infrastructure and how their actions deregulate all manner of public health and safety standards for people in the United States, we'd say that their agenda is all about improving the efficiency of corporations to make record profits and allowing corporations to get away with fraud and waste. The dismantling of our public health infrastruc- ture is very alarming and will have longstanding consequences for generations, for our kids and grandkids and their kids. Check out the feature article in this issue that describes what's happening in more detail and what you can and should do to protest and fight back. What many of us also find equally disturbing are the government's authoritarian attempts to control us through division, fear, and intimidation. One area that immediately comes to mind is the vilification of transgender people, and attacks and bans on gender-affirming care—what we firmly believe is a health care decision that should be made between patients and their providers. The other is the recent raiding of our communities by masked, unidentified federal agents for the indiscriminate roundup and detain- ment of immigrants, both legal and undocumented—and sometimes even citizens. The current administration has made our workplaces, health settings, in addition to tradi- tionally safe spaces like churches and schools, fair game for brutal confrontations and arrests. There is no humanity in this behavior. Nurses, know your rights and your patients' rights. Please check our website for resources. But remember as we navigate these dark times: We union nurses are bearers of truth and science and, most importantly, we are advocates and fighters for our patients and our communities. We will challenge all harms intended against them. Now is not the time to watch from the side- lines as the current administration steals every person's right to health. Take action. Get involved. Show up. See you out 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