Issue link: https://nnumagazine.uberflip.com/i/447704
W ith the camera flashes popping at Warren Beatty, Annette Ben- ing, and Sean Penn, and a media crush pressing the stage after Beatty's soar- ing keynote address, casual onlookers could be forgiven if they confused the awards dinner at CNA's 2005 convention with Oscar festivities. It was Academy Awards night, but not for any of the reasons reported by the le- gion of reporters in the room. Long after the TV cameras had retreated to their pro- duction vans and the reporters had folded up their notebooks and laptop computers, the unheralded stars came to the stage. What bound this group together was not just their noble profession as care- givers, but their selfless commitment to a larger community. Twice in the past year, disasters of unimaginable proportions have struck. First a tsunami that swept away entire vil- lages and shattered hundreds of thousands of lives in South Asia. Then in late August one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. his- tory that rapidly evolved from a natural disaster (if you can overlook how global warming has intensified Caribbean storms) to an unnatural catastrophe while tens of thousands waited and waited for help from a government that seemed in- different to their suffering. Both times, CNA members answered the call. Early in the year a delegation of six RNs traveled to Sri Lanka for two weeks. In the past month, more than 220 RNs have rushed to the shattered Gulf Coast. Both groups worked in public hospitals, in mobile clinics, in makeshift shelters. They worked long hours and were will- ing to bear conditions that most would find unbearable because their mission of heal- ing took precedence over their own com- fort and convenience. Each and every one volunteered for the assignment, working without pay, and most astounding, they felt privileged to help, and were grateful to CNA for sending them. They did not go in search of accolades, media attention, or fame. But they deserve all of that. In Sri Lanka they provided pri- mary care to some so impoverished they still live in refugee camps 10 months after the waves crashed ashore. In some ways the Katrina story is even more appalling, how the richest nation on earth abandoned a wide swath of its citi- zenry when they were most in need. The stories of pain and destruction are tragic enough. But perhaps most telling was the report that more than half the evacuees who arrived in Texas were uninsured. In addition to infections and multiple other ills related to flooding or being left with- out care on rooftops or in overcrowded convention centers for days, many had chronic conditions untreated for years. With their unheralded contributions, the RN volunteers demonstrated that for them, unlike the corporate healthcare profiteers, tending lives takes precedence over tending to profits and that access to care is not a commodity, but a basic hu- man right. And by their volunteer effort and indomitable spirit they exemplified nursing at its best—a social advocacy for patients and community that goes far be- yond the bedside. It is that spirit we will all need if we are able to change this in- sane, inhumane healthcare system. They deserve our honors and our thanks. THE COURAGE UNDE R F IRE AWARD Tsunami volunteers: Aida Ericksson, Ann Mackenzie, Jane Quist, Theckla Per- era, Mary Reynolds, Julie Zyskowski. Hurricane Katrina volunteers (as of October 3): Laura Aiello, Robin Albertelli, Coquese Alcom, Andrea Arnet, John As- taunda, Virginia Avila, Charlotte Ballenger, Renee Barbanica, Michael Barber, Chris Becker, Sharon Bernard, Patti Bethel, Dawn Bittman, Essie Blau, Jonica Brooks, Aimee Brown, Catherine Brunscheon, Kathleen Burke, Jessica Calleja, Sue Can- non, Jennifer Cardenas, Karen Carr, Sherry Carranza, Julilynn Carter, Rachael Carver, Michelle Cary, Aimee Castillo, Connie Chavarria, Angelique Chavez, Katherine Chen, Christine Chryssovergis, Kenda Cipollina, Anthony Cook, Lora Cook, Lynn Crostic, Carmelita Del Mundo, Jennifer Del Vecchio, Myril Delara, Christi Delemos, Sandra Delgadillo, Dianne Den- gate, Kim Denner, Bonnie Di Salvo, Aileen Dimaunahan, Katie Donahue, Melissa Donaldson, Gregory Dyer, Gerardo Echev- erria, Clarence Edwards, Cindi Evans, Na- talie Firato, John Fische, Pamela Fischer, Cody Flow, Lashaundra Fluno, David Fox, Diane Foxen, Valerie Freedman, Kathie Friant, Julia Galletly, Christina Gambino, Toni Gardner, Nara Gaul, Maureen Grif- fin, Nana Gual, Jason Hall, Leslie Hawkins, Peggy Hawkins, Betty Hemphill, Faith Henson, Ernest Herbert, Sheila Hidalgo, Sharon Hill, Glenda Hrones, Julie Hughes Lederer, Carmen Hull, Nanette M Hull, Ko- rtney Christine Hyrchuck, Stephen In- gerson, Jeri Jackels, Marianne Jensen, Lori Johnson, Nellie Johnson, Karen Kalua, Laura M Keels, Elizabeth Ann Kempt, Eliz- abethy Kinsella, Erika Knox, Kelli Kolstad, Jill Lanford, Katie Larkin, Paige Larrabee, Jo Anna Leggins, Raymond Leonard, Kris- tine Loeppky, Dawn Love, Pamela Luiz, Kristin Lykins, Charlene Mack, Ann Mackenzie, Miriam Madamba, Deborah Marcus, Bonnie Martin, Olivia Matsuyama, Janell McClung, Dawn McKeown, Pamela Meigs, Lisa Meikle, Laurie Meredith, Megan Miller, Todd Miller, Catherine Mont- gomery, Linda Moss, Lisa Mowery, Anne Marie Mulle, Scott Mundy, Erin Murphy, Mary Needham, Jonalea Neider, Mary Newton, Pearl Ng, Joyce Nochez, Kristin Nolan, Nora O'Flaherty, Chenit Ong Fla- herty, Dorothy Paiva, Albert Pappalardo, Connie Paradee, Laura Patarone, Allison Pedersen, Linda Pene, Leticia Peralta, 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5 C A L I F O R N I A N U R S E And the Award Goes To… Rose Ann DeMoro CNA Executive Director Our RN Heroines and Heroes By Rose Ann DeMoro (Continued on page 21)