National Nurses United

RAD_Nov 2/25/10 11:55 AM Page 13 Rose Ann DeMoro Executive Director, National Nurses United In Haiti Volunteers, the Spirit and Compassion of a Nurse Thousands of RNs signed up for duty after the earthquake, showing the courage of their profession. response by dedicated RNs volunteering to country in the Western Hemisphere, hen the ground participate in the relief effort—rushing off massive problems with nutrition, infant shook in Haiti in for the battery of shots and pills they need, mortality, HIV infection, tuberculosis, mid-January, the pressing their colleagues to sign up, donatunsafe drinking water. If that weren't tremors went far ing funds and getting family members to enough, mix in a debilitating history of beyond that long contribute, and then beating down our hurricanes and other natural disasters and troubled island doors wanting to get on the planes and ships political strife. nation, with reverberations to the north headed to Haiti. And now this. A death toll of 150,000 that remind us of the incredible humaniThese are nurses willing to fly into the according to the Haitian government, tarian spirit, generosity, and dedication face of disaster. As Patricia Taylor, a Chicaanother 700,000 with traumatic injuries, that define what it means to be go operating room nurse, said a registered nurse. as she prepared to deploy with Just hours after we posted We have witnessed an unparalleled, other RNRN/NNU volunnotices on our National Nursastounding response by dedicated RNs teers aboard the Navy ship es United website, offers to volunteering to participate in the relief USNS Comfort, "I thought it help came pouring in from effort—rushing off for the battery was devastating and how nurses across the nation, and of shots and pills they need, pressing frightened the people must even in other countries. A their colleagues to sign up. be. I kept thinking about few dozen, then hundreds, how I would feel if I was there, then thousands. and praying for them not to lose Within two weeks more than hope. I was raised to help people that need 1 million or more homeless. An infrastruc13,500 RNs had volunteered for the relief help. It was nothing heroic, just plain ture, including hospitals, clinics, schools, mission through NNU's Registered Nurse common decency." and the government, in tatters. And Relief Network, along with several hundred Some nurses, including NNU members, other medical personnel. More than 1,800 of a worsening health emergency. have also gone to Haiti through other, mostA bulletin from Doctors Without them joined a national conference call we ly private organizations. Borders spelled out just a few of the convened. Each nurse volunteer could serve as an concerns: widespread infections, an They offered to take time off work, withemblem for the quiet heroism of what it outbreak of tetanus for which there is out pay, for weeks at a time, despite the means to be a nurse. As a quote floating no cure, growing alarm over water-borne repeated reports about appalling conditions diseases, a particular threat to children, and around the internet from Lexie Saige puts on the ground. For a mission that we know it, "A nurse is compassion in scrubs." an overall "elevated risk of disease outwill go on for months. Read the stories of many of these heroic RNs breaks." Low vaccination rates also mean Donations also began arriving, in small on our special web page, www.RNheroes.org. diseases like measles can cause "many and large sums, to help pay for travel costs With NNU, we have a perfect match for deaths and much sickness with children and medical supplies for the volunteers. The those compassionate women and men in under five being most vulnerable." brilliant Emmy-award-winning actor James scrubs: a powerful national organization of Overall, they conclude, "a lot of the infraGandolfini magnanimously recorded a direct-care RNs, able to rally thousands of structure that keeps infections at bay has moving TV and radio ad for us to nurses to utilize their unique, professional been disrupted or destroyed- shelter, water, help generate contributions. Legislators, expertise to help people most in need, and food. Secondly, the population's health has students, business people, nurses contacted mobilize the resources needed to support been greatly weakened. So not only are you us—most asking that their contributions be them. more likely to become ill, but the illness is anonymous, saying they just wanted to help. more likely to be severe." The need is almost unimaginable. Even It's within that context that we have prior to the present nightmare, conditions Rose Ann DeMoro is executive director of National witnessed an unparalleled, astounding in Haiti were catastrophic—the poorest Nurses United. W JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2010 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 N AT I O N A L N U R S E 13

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