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TOC 1/9/07 1:27 PM Page 2 Registered Nurse LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT a s 2 0 0 6 d r aw s to a close and 2007 begins, I am amazed and heartened by how the debate over lack of healthcare access has moved front and center in this country. It seems like it's gotten so bad that everyone is finally talking about making sure everybody has decent healthcare. Unfortunately, many of our lawmakers are still proposing only Band-Aid solutions meant to placate and dissuade us from aiming for the only universal solution we know will work: a single-payer system with a single, quality standard of care for all. It's not like Americans don't support a national health insurance system. According to recent polls, a majority of us actually support a single-payer system. Rather, our politicians are not willing to stand up against the huge insurance and healthcare industries that make plenty of money maintaining the status quo. So they offer up proposal after proposal—unwieldy, cobbled-together plans that only nibble around the edges of the problem. Components include making it mandatory for individuals to buy insurance, requiring employers of a certain size to pay into state pools to help subsidize insurance, expanding government programs to cover more children—the list goes on. It literally makes your head spin. But as we say, and as CNA/NNOC's executive director explains on page 9, there are really only two plans: one that is patient-based with public accountability, and one that is market-based with control remaining with companies that prioritize profits. During the huge debates that are just now REGISTERED NURSE,™ (ISSN 1932-8966) The Journal of Patient Advocacy, December 2006 Volume 102/10 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 for July and August, and January and February. 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. starting, especially in the state of California, CNA/NNOC will continue to lobby for the first. As this year wraps up, I also want to mention that our board of directors recently welcomed two new members, representing our Illinois and Maine membership, and that we're that much closer to our vision of a national nurses union. We are also celebrating a string of end-of-the-year organizing victories in California at several major hospitals, which you can read about in the news section. With the year change and the holidays, many nurses are also reevaluating life goals and work situations. For those who may be approaching retirement, be sure to check out our feature story about CNA/NNOC's recent creation of a retiree division intended to keep RNs active in the organization and connected to the profession. It's definitely a program whose time has come. I wish you continued good health as we fight for social justice this coming year. 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