Cover 4
1/9/07
1:26 PM
Page 1
Our Nation's
Healthcare
is in Crisis
and Nurses
must Act.
Help us build
the momentum
for universal,
single-payer healthcare,one story at a time.
We all know the statistics. More than
45 million Americans have no insurance. About half
of personal bankruptcies in the U.S. can be traced
to medical bills. Millions more make do with lousy
policies that wouldn't protect them from losing
everything if the worst happened. Our country's lack
of a universal healthcare system with a single standard of quality care for all now touches everyone.
As a registered nurse on the front lines of our
nation's healthcare crisis, we know you have stories
to tell. About the elderly woman who came in with
chest pains because she took only half her blood
pressure medication to save money for the gas bill.
About the immigrant construction worker who
refused stitches for the deep gash in his thumb
because it was too expensive. Maybe even about
yourself, your friends, or your loved ones.
But statistics won't move the public or change minds.
Stories about real people's suffering do.
So we need your help building the case for universal
healthcare, one story at a time. Please contact the
California Nurses Association and National Nurses
Organizing Committee to share your experience and
do your part. We understand your need to respect
patient confidentiality and, if necessary, will work
with you to obtain the proper permissions to do your
story justice.
What's your story? Tell it by going
online at www.calnurses.org
or www.nnoc.net , and click
on the "Medicare for All" button.