National Nurses United

NewsBriefs 6/13/06 2:53 PM Page 4 NewsBriefs RNs Gather in Sacramento to Build for Patient Advocacy Program undreds of registered nurses from across the country gathered this May in Sacramento, Calif. for CNA/ NNOC's Staff Nurse Assembly, a two-day convention devoted to educating and encouraging nurses to be active in solving the difficult political and practice issues direct-care RNs face today. The organization also announced plans to sponsor federal legislation intended to strengthen and grow the profession and capped the event with a march and rally at the State Capitol. "Knowing there are nurses out there from all different states with the same issues and the same goals and dreams is very empowering," said Kristine Hall, an emergency medicine RN at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Ark. "I hope we can continue to keep each other in the loop and keep the momentum going." Nurses from states as varied as Kentucky, Maine, Texas, and California attended. Through continuing education courses, RNs learned about the various arenas in which nurses must be involved if they hoped to fulfill their "right and duty" to be an advocate for their patients. One course covered was CNA/NNOC's "Clean Money" campaign to win publiclyfinanced statewide elections in California. Nurses also discussed efforts to pass a national, single-payer healthcare system that would provide healthcare to everyone, not just those who can afford it. Various attempts over the years to achieve such a system have been blocked by insurance companies, drug companies, and other corporate interests that profit handsomely off the current, fragmented system and make large campaign donations to legislators to ensure that status quo remains. From 1999 to 2004, health insurance, health services, and health management organizations contributed more than $49 million to political campaigns, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. But when lawmakers no longer depend on corporations for their next campaign dollar, the thinking goes, they would be more likely to vote for H 4 REGISTERED NURSE Above: Dorothy Ahmad, RN rouses the crowd with a story about how she and other Chicago RNs joined CNA/NNOC. Left: CNA/NNOC President Deborah Burger, RN addresses the assembly. Opposite: RNs capped their convention with a march to the California State Capitol. reforms the public really needs, such as single-payer healthcare based on a universal, single standard of care for all. In another session, nurses had a chance to learn about and reflect on their profession's long history of patient advocacy, and W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G how they can apply that directive today. Besides just the individual advocacy that nurses perform, day in and day out as part of their jobs, nurses can also band together to work collectively on wide-scale issues that impede their ability to be effective patient advocates, and can be social advocates in addressing the underlying causes of poor health: poverty, lack of education, environmental injustice, and other social inequalities. "This form of advocacy. . . provides the only realistic path for registered nurses to fulfill their individual, professional, and social mission and responsibility of RN licensure in today's consolidated healthcare market," presented Hedy Dumpel, CNA/ JUNE 2006

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