Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/198609
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT as i reviewed all of our events these past couple of months, I was struck by how varied and widespread they were. You can see for yourself by checking out the coverage in this issue, but it seems like CNA/NNOC registered nurses are everywhere these days! We were in Austin, marching on the state Capitol in support of ratio legislation for the great state of Texas. We were in Los Angeles, convening on negotiating strategies to use with Catholic Healthcare West and protesting a local hospital's attempt to deprive members of their rights to union representation by saying they were supervisors. We were in Chicago, staging a mock funeral for closed public health clinics and other services that our Cook County Bureau of Health Services RNs are fighting desperately to keep open in the face of inhumane budget cuts. We were in Oakland and San Francisco, meeting about how best to bargain with Sutter Health. We truly are growing to be a national RN force to be reckoned with. And nowhere will that be more apparent than in Sacramento, Calif. on May 8, when thousands of nurses from around the country will converge to officially launch our campaign for single-payer, guaranteed health insurance for everybody. Everybody agrees our healthcare system is broken, but few have the courage to stand up and call for ousting the insurance industry that's the source of our troubles. But we do. People want and need change, and the time is right for us nurses to advocate on behalf of the patients we are responsible to. In California, SB 840 would create a guaranteed insurance system for that state, and REGISTERED NURSE,™ (ISSN 1932-8966) The Journal of Patient Advocacy, April 2007 Volume 103/3 is published by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, 2000 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. It provides news of organizational activities and reports on developments of concern to all registered nurses across the nation. It also carries general coverage and commentary on matters of nursing practice, community and public health, and healthcare policy. It is published monthly except for combined issues in January and February, and July and August. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Registered Nurse, 2000 ™ Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612-2908. To send a media release or announcement, fax (510) 6630629. Registered Nurse™ is carried on the CNA/NNOC website at www.calnurses.org. nationally, HR 676 would do the same for the whole country. So please come on May 8 to join us in putting some pressure on legislators to listen to us, the people, and not the health insurance companies that make profit by denying care. The health insurance industry is not the only culprit in patient suffering. I am also deeply concerned about our government's treatment of war veterans, a topic I discuss in a column this issue. From what I can see, the scandal over shoddy treatment of soldiers who've been wounded fighting for our country parallels this administration's approach to the entire healthcare system: neglect, inadequate funding, and privatization. Also in these pages, we explore the ongoing trend of nurses migrating from underdeveloped to developed, industrialized countries and the disastrous health consequences for the residents who are left behind. This is the first of several articles that we plan to run examining the various, complicated facets of nurse migration. Lots of information here, and more always coming. Hope to see you May 8. Deborah Burger, RN CNA/NNOC president For permission to reprint articles, write to Editorial Office. To subscribe, send $40 ($45 foreign) to Subscription Department. California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee also produces California Nurse, which it ™ will continue to publish periodically. PLEASE CONTACT US WITH YOUR STORY IDEAS They can be about practice or management 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 humorous, or a matter of life and death. If you're a writer and would like to contribute an article, please let us know. Our contact information is in the masthead. executive editor Rose Ann DeMoro editor Lucia Hwang graphic design Jonathan Wieder communications director Charles Idelson contributors Hedy Dumpel, RN, JD photography Jaclyn Higgs, Tad Keyes editorial intern Bonnie Ho