National Nurses United

NewsBriefs.REV_June REV 7/30/10 6:20 PM Page 6 NEWS BRIEFS Michigan Staff Nurse Runs for Legislature S MICHIGAN cott nesbit, rn, was sitting in the balcony of Michigan's state house last spring, observing legislators conduct official business, when it hit him: He wanted to be down on that floor, advocating for nurses and other working people. Nesbit, an intensive care nurse since 1997, had come to the Capitol as part of the Michigan Nurses Association's annual lobby day. It was a tumultuous time: A national Catholic healthcare chain had just purchased the community hospital where he worked in Muskegon and was attempting to take away nurses' hard-won benefits, pay, and patient safety protections. Nesbit and his wife Bonnie, who chairs the local bargaining unit, were heavily involved in the struggle to protect them. "We were both becoming more politically aware and finally stepping up to the plate," Bonnie said. "I turned to Scott that day and said, 'You know, you're really good with people, your patients and co-workers listen to you. You could do this.'" A year later, with MNA's help, Nesbit is running a grassroots campaign for state representative focused on healthcare reform and bringing economic prosperity back to Michigan's working-class neighborhoods. He's personally knocked on the doors of a quarter of the roughly 6,000 households in the 92nd district, and says his message is simple. "I want to shake things up in Lansing," he said. "People have to put aside their differences and collaborate to solve problems. That's what I've been doing as a nurse for 14 years." As a legislator, Nesbit says, he'd work to pass patient protection bills like the NNUsponsored measures to mandate nurse-topatient ratios and safe patient lifting, which have stalled in committee. Legislators on those committees, he said, "don't realize their agenda should be people and not profit." Nesbit's platform also focuses on the 6 N AT I O N A L N U R S E broader concerns of working people in Muskegon County, a former lumber and manufacturing area with a 16 percent unemployment rate. His economic plan includes investing in renewable energy and providing assistance to small businesses to bring jobs back to the Rust Belt. "Good health is not just taking pills and running on a treadmill, it's a social thing," he said. "I'm talking about everyone having a safe neighborhood to live in, a decent home, roads that are drivable and well maintained, and a police force and school system that are adequately funded." Running in a field crowded with eight other candidates for the Democratic nomination, many of whom have outspent him, Nesbit knows his chances are uncertain. But his credibility as a nurse, supporters say, goes a long way. "When you knock on someone's door and say, here's a nurse from your local hospital that's running for state representative, they W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G feel that he understands them," says Lynn Ching, a nurse practitioner and volunteer coordinator for Nesbit's campaign. Ching said she got involved in the campaign because she's frustrated to see young people leave Muskegon because of lack of job opportunities, and felt that Nesbit was "determined enough to stand behind what he says." "Scott doesn't hide anything," she said. "Everything is out in the open, and he's not easily influenced. His goal is to represent the working class, and I believe that's what he'll do." At least one other registered nurse currently serves in the Michigan Legislature: Lesia Liss, an associate member of MNA and the sponsor of the state's safe nurse-to-patient ratio bill. "We need people like Scott to go and fight in the Legislature to make sure they don't ignore our concerns about safe staffing," said Ken Fletcher, associate executive director for government relations at MNA. "We know the public has a lot of respect for the profession of nursing, and that also carries over to the legislative arena. Other members of the Legislature will listen when they speak, and that additional clout could make them very effective on a whole range of issues." Regardless of what happens in the Aug. 3 primary, Nesbit said he feels gratified to have the chance to talk with his neighbors about the future of healthcare and their community. If he doesn't win, he plans to remain involved in politics "both as a nurse and as a citizen," and run for office again at either the state or local level. "I don't know who is going to win this primary," he said, "but I will be crossing the finish line and knowing I left it all out there on the field." —Felicia Mello JUNE 2010

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