National Nurses United

TOC.Sept 2006 9/1/06 12:16 PM Page 2 Registered Nurse LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT when you're active with CNA/NNOC, it seems like every month is filled with momentous events. So I've got a lot to report. This September, as we're remembering the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst man-made disasters in our nation's history, we've appropriately done two things: We endorsed California State Treasurer Phil Angelides for governor, and we've managed with State Sen. Sheila Kuehl to pass a bill out of the Legislature that would guarantee health coverage for every Californian, a bill for which we are the lead sponsor. In California, earthquake central, we nurses know that we are medically unprepared for a major disaster. We've had plenty of other beefs with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but probably one of our biggest disappointments is that he's actually weakened our public healthcare system at a time when we need to be strengthening it—whether we must respond to an earthquake, a breech of the levies around Sacramento, a bird flu pandemic, or a terrorist attack. Hospitals and emergency rooms are shutting down all over the state, especially in Los Angeles County where officials have basically declared an emergency medical services crisis, yet Schwarzenegger still vetoed legislation we sponsored that would have required hospitals to give communities more notice in event of closure and a chance to buy the facility. Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, Calif. is just the latest casualty. We believe Angelides is the better choice. He stepped up last year by arranging and sponsoring 50 seats on a charter jet flight REGISTERED NURSE,™ (ISSN 0008-1310) The Journal of Patient Advocacy, September 2006 Volume 102/7 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. when we needed help sending RN volunteers to the Gulf Coast after Katrina. And he supports Proposition 89, our Clean Elections initiative. We think if elected governor, he'd step up again. Also on the anniversary of Katrina, a historic single-payer healthcare bill for California, SB 840, has all but passed out of the Legislature and is on its way to Schwarzenegger's desk for veto or signature. As nurses who see patients delay care and forgo medications they can't afford to fill, we desperately need him to sign this bill. But given his public opposition to universal healthcare and his symbiotic relationship with insurance and drug companies, we're not holding our breath. It's the farthest any piece of universal healthcare legislation has gotten in any state, though, and we should be proud. The task now is to let Schwarzenegger know we want him to sign SB 840, and to let every person in the state know if he vetoes it. See our story in the news section for more details about how to do that. Also in this issue is a retrospective on hospice care, just as we are approaching World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on Oct. 7. And for all you Kaiser RNs, of which I am one, there's an update in the news section about our ongoing master contract negotiations. That's a lot of news, but I'm sure there'll be even more to report next month. But I guess that's just what you get with an organization as dynamic as ours. 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

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