National Nurses United

Profile 7/25/06 12:39 AM Page 22 phyl l is brown, rn knows firsthand that change is the only constant. by mi ran da everitt It's Never Too P hyllis brown felt invisible for 40 years. She lived a quiet life as a stenographer, wife, and mother. But after her daughter became disabled, Brown put her life on hold to become a caretaker. Not long after, her daughter and her husband passed away. "People were so good to me when my daughter was suffering. For me, something had to change," she said. "It was then I decided I needed to go back to the people." So in her late 30s, Brown started nursing school in San Francisco. She didn't become an RN until age 40, and didn't find her niche in home healthcare for another five years. Yet her long list of accomplishments belies her years in the field. She had never planned on being a nurse, a leader, or a political activist. Now she is all three, working 40 hours a week as a home health RN with Kaiser Permanente Vallejo, attending protests, pickets, and meetings, and sitting on more committees than she can name off the top of her head. She has sat on the board of CNA/NNOC since 1995. "I never thought I would be political but I've found it's the only way to get change," Brown said. "As nurses, we have to be patient advocates." 22 REGISTERED NURSE Brown started out in a neural observation unit, but saw so many victims of domestic abuse and other violence that she searched for a different field. She eventually found her passion: home health. One New Year's Day a few years ago, she drove through flooded roads to give a patient an IV. "I thought, 'A nurse must go through, just like the mail.' Two months later I went to get the car serviced and the man asked me if I was in the habit of backing a boat down into the water," she said, laughing. "It was kind of stupid of me." Being a home health aid often puts her close to patients at the end of their lives, sometimes without the support of their family, church, or community. Instead of depressing her outlook, these experiences have actually helped her develop a sunnier perspective on life. "Most people are doing the best they can. I try to simplify things so they're not overwhelmed," she said. "To me, there's a life cycle. It comes full circle." Though changes in her life have often been outside her control, she learned to tap her inner strength after becoming an RN. Brown grew up in a troubled home, and dealt with emotional and physical violence for years before her daughter's death woke her up. "I have to have faith in myself rather than listening to people discount my belief," she said. "I've developed a voice." And she doesn't speak only for herself. Brown said she visits patients who endanger their health by taking their medication half as often as they should. People in government-subsidized housing are often afraid to complain should their rent go up. She knows of frail, elderly patients who may be forced to wait on a gurney in a hallway for as long as 23 hours while hospital staff find a bed for them anywhere they can. She knows of people choosing between food and medicine. Faced with the downward spiral into sickness and poverty, she said, many people just give up, and it's her job to make that harder to do. Even among the most vulnerable, Brown finds remarkable stories of hope and courage. "There are some incredible people who are retired and still activists," she said. One woman Brown treated could barely speak because of a stroke, and her husband was blind. She was 80 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and after the mastectomy the hospital discharged her into a taxi at 3 a.m. The hospital told her she was entitled to only three days of home health services. Outraged, the woman successfully lobbied the state for more care. "This woman wrote to Sacramento and got things for herself, but she also made things better for women with new babies or mastec- W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G J U LY 2 0 0 6

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