National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:Oct Revise 10/15/08 11:52 PM Page 5 In Their Own Words What did you learn at the 2008 Staff Nurse Assembly? Opposite: CNA/ NNOC's Council of Presidents, (L to R) RNs Geri Jenkins, Malinda Markowitz, Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, and Deborah Burger, lead a march across the Golden Gate Bridge. Above: Houston RN Chris Williams describes unionizing his hospital while Reno RN Kevin Redner and Fresno RN Susan Whitfield listen. Left: Illinois Rep. Mary Flowers rallies the crowd for single-payer. formally protest being given too many patients, the TDO will track instances where technology threatens patient care. "I would say that 50 percent of our time now at Dominican Hospital where I work is now on indirect patient care because of this technology," said Grundeman. She added that it's particularly important for more experienced RNs who practiced nursing before the advent of technology mentor new graduates who may be so used to the systems that they could not imagine doing their jobs without them. "We need to bring them back to the bedside and remind them that charting is secondary to the patient care we give," she said. The highlight of the conference was a march by RNs across the Golden Gate Bridge and rally to publicize the need for guaranteed, single-payer healthcare in the United States. Dressed in red scrubs reading "bridge to healthcare" across the backs, nearly 800 RNs trooped across the iconic span, drawing thumbs up from tourists and onlookers. "One little old man with this heavy accent asked me what we were doing, and I asked where he was from," recalled Geri Jenkins, a UC San Diego Medical Center RN and a member of the CNA/NNOC Council of Presidents. "He said 'Sweden,' and I told him that we want what they have: single-payer, universal healthcare!" —staff report OCTOBER 2008 This assembly helped me understand that it's not just about defending what we have, not only fighting for nurses, but fighting for everyone. I've learned that in order to beat this old system, we should all work in order to become as one. We make people understand we're not fighting just for wages. The number one thing people worry about, it's healthcare of every single family, every working person. Without your health, how could you work? How could you support your family? Rosa Marie Mangalindan, RN Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara, Calif. We are one. One collective voice. Everyone here has the same goal in mind: that patients get the quality care they deserve. This organization puts the bedside decisionmaking of healthcare back in the hands of healthcare practitioners. Chris Williams, RN Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center, Houston, Texas Solidarity counts. Staying together, staying strong, and speaking up. And I learned that every state has the same issues. Everyone has the same goals. California has a great nursing movement and it would be great to bring that more to Pennsylvania, so we came to get inspired. Tammy May, RN Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler, Penn. I learned we need to get more involved in politics, to empower people to choose the person that will give them better healthcare. People need to know their rights and the political process. The country needs single-payer and we need to [elect] people with the same ideals as us. Francesca Obi, RN Cook County Jail, Chicago, Ill. Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation Publication title: Registered Nurse. Publication number: 1932-8966. Filing date: 10-1-2008. Issue frequency: Monthly except for combined issues in January-February and July-August. Number of issues published annually: 10. Annual subscription price: $40. 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