National Nurses United

for following licensing and certification regulations pertaining to the maintenance of a safe care environment when managing an unusually high census or influx of patients due to an unexpected event, such as a disease outbreak or mass casualty incident. Enforce safe staffing ratios and standards to ensure that staffing is based on the severity of illness, need for specialized equipment and technology, complexity of clinical judgment needed to design, implement, and evaluate the patient's plan of care, the dependency/ability for self care of the patient, and the licensure of personnel required to provide the care. Notify supervisory personnel when unsafe working conditions exist. Carry out the principles of the Nursing Practice Act, Scope of Practice mandates, and applicable institutional licensing and certification regulations of health facility employer. Assess each patient's needs, plan the nursing care, and determine the care that can be safely and appropriately assigned to other health care team members. Change decisions and activities which interfere with or override the direct care RN's professional judgment in determining the health facility non-compliance with state or federal regulatory standards for patient health and safety and file a report with such agencies. RNRN CALL TO ACTION in 2009 CNA/NNOC issued an RNRN Call to Action notice to encourage a nationwide social advocacy movement of RN patient advocates to fight for achieving the demands identified in the RNRN Call to Action www.calnurses.org/rnrn The RN Response Network (RNRN) is a national network of direct care RNs that: Recruits and coordinates sending volunteer RNs to disaster Avian Influenza (H5N1) Avian influenza is an infection caused by avian (bird) influenza (flu) viruses. These influenza viruses occur naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. However, avian influenza is very contagious among birds and can make some domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks, and turkeys, very sick and kill them. Influenza A virus normally seen in one species can sometimes cross over and cause illness in another species. Until H5N1 infected humans in the 1990s, this was the only reason avian flu was considered important. Since then, avian flu viruses have been intensively studied, resulting in changes in what is believed about flu pandemics, changes in poultry farming, changes in flu vaccination research, and changes in flu pandemic planning. Since 2009 the world community has spent billions of dollars fighting this threat with limited success. H5N1 has evolved into a flu virus strain that infects more species than any previously known flu virus strain, is deadlier than any previously known flu virus strain, and continues to evolve, becoming both more widespread and more deadly. JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2010 evacuation sites where and when their help is needed most. When disasters like pandemics, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other emergencies strike, RNs are needed to relieve the human suffering and provide hands-on care and relief for exhausted local RNs. Provides consultation on how RNs can prepare for disaster response, which include social advocacy for the provision of preventative and restorative patient care in a safe, therapeutic and effective manner, regardless of age, gender, ability to pay, social status, ethnicity, lifestyle, religion, or belief. ACTION PLAN every registered nurse regardless of practice setting must immediately engage in the NNU social advocacy action plan in order to mitigate or contain this imminent pandemic. RNs affirm the NNU campaign declaring health care is a human right. RNs must exercise their duty, inherent in the social contract, as clinical, professional, social and political advocates in support of a Single Payer and Single Standard of Universal Health Care for all. Social /Political the united states government has a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of its citizens. Single payer/single standard of care removes barriers to identifying, treating and preventing the spread of a flu pandemic. No one is denied care. Citizens, including registered nurses, must hold government accountable for reinvesting tax dollars into the public health system. Cease and desist the layoff of public health nurses and all other public health workers, including registered nurses in the school systems, acute and long term care facilities and outpatient clinics. Federal, state, county and city governments must lift any freeze on public health funding. Secure and disseminate science-based knowledge of viral infections/organisms, prevention and treatment standards, rather than hype. Economics address and resolve U.S. relative ineffectiveness of current vaccine technology in producing anti-influenza vaccines. Redirect funds earmarked for healthcare information technology to: Expand the number of laboratories able to effectively analyze the virus. Add to the number of personnel employed to gather raw data for analysis. Government must stop its incentive which diverts resources to private interest drug corporations and commercial enterprise at the expense of public health. It is more cost-effective to reinvest in public health clinics in each community, creating access to preventive and restorative care provided in a safe, therapeutic and effective manner for the benefit of a broad segment of populations. Insurance companies must waive all out-of-pocket co-payments, co-insurance, and deductable mandates, so as not to discourage patients from seeking preventative care at early signs of infection. There must be immediate funding for recruitment and retention of school nurses and public health nurses, including funding for public health clinics. Insist on a public and private moratorium on closure of any 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 33

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