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M AY | J U N E 2 0 1 6 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 11 CALIFORNIA O ne of the rallying cries for Our Revolution, the Bernie Sanders campaign's successor organiza- tion, is "Run for office!" After years of community and union activism, California Nurses Association member Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto, RN decided November 2016 was the time to run for city council where she lives, in El Cerrito, Calif. Q: What inspired and prepared you to run for city council? A: Being a nurse activist has definitely inspired me. The work that we've done lobby- ing various political leaders gave me a peek into the world of policy making and it really lit a fire under me. Also, I did a lot of speak- ing at our rallies when we went on strike nine times at Alta Bates Hospital and this gave me a lot of practice for running for office. I'm also inspired to run, because as a woman and a person of color, I'm underrep- resented. There's a major lack of women in office; fewer than 20 percent at the federal level and 30 percent at the state level. Also there are a lot of racial justice issues coming up and as a mother, I'm speaking up for my boys, who are boys of color, and I think it's very important for women to weigh in, to make new paths forward for our kids. I feel like I'm qualified to do that because of my background: I am African-American, but I am also biracial, so I'm used to creating bridges and talking to and getting along with a variety of people and I think that will be one of my greatest strengths. Something happened one day when I was talking to my kids that also made me realize how important it is that I run. We have this book called The Little Blue Truck Leads the Way. In the story, the mayor gets out of a limousine after it breaks down, and he's an older white man in a black suit and top hat. So when I told my sons I was running for City Council and that I could possibly be mayor (because councilmembers take turns doing that in El Cerrito) they both said "No! You can't be the mayor! You don't look like that guy!" We need to change that. My 3-and 7 year-old sons were already thinking that: Mommy, you don't look like a mayor. Q: How does nursing connect to creating policy at the community level? A: I love being a bedside nurse and I love helping people, but I've always wished I could help more people. By making policy, you are able to help more people at once. For exam- ple, I work in the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) at Alta Bates Hospital and the hospi- tal is slated to close, due primarily to econom- ic interests. As an RN I know how important it is for the hospital to remain open and I'm going to fight for that. Healthcare should be about patients, not profits. That's why I'm a strong supporter of Medicare For All. Q: How does your experience in the NICU inform your perspectives? Q: As I take care of NICU patients it's real- ly easy for me to see how some children are advantaged over other children from the very start. When you start to dig deeper into the social issues behind why a mother might end up with a premature baby, you understand that if that mother had better access to hous- ing, to food, an education, and a job, then maybe they wouldn't have ended up in the situation they're in. Q: How do Main Street Campaign issues dovetail with issues in your community? A: Housing is one, for example. Currently there is no rent control in El Cerrito but rent control policy is being considered. If I can help people stay in their homes, then maybe they won't end up in the hospital due to this kind of life stress. This is a way that nurses can partici- pate in upstream community health nursing. Q: Can you say more about upstream community health nursing? A: Since nursing school, I've always thought of community health nursing as preventing problems before they happen, keeping people out of crisis, really getting to the roots of many of our social problems like the lack of access to healthcare, to education, to affordable housing, living wages, a retire- ment with dignity, or the health of the envi- ronment in which we live. All of these things I consider upstream community nursing. Right now, I don't think there are enough nurses making decisions about these issues. Q: Do you think people listen to nurses? A: Definitely. I've been asked by the Sier- ra Club to speak on health and air quality issues and I've been asked to speak on racial justice and mental health issues. It's impor- tant for nurses to educate the public about how these issues play out at the hospital bedside. Q: What advice do you have for other nurs- es who are thinking of running for office but say, "I admire you so much, but I don't think I can do it." A: The biggest obstacle you have to get over is that voice in your head that says that you can't do it. You have to believe in your- self, get out of bed, and work hard every day. You can do it. If we had more nurses and women in office we could really change the conversations that are happening today at the tables that are driving how society is being run. —Martha Wallner If Nurses Called the Shots RNs like Rochelle Pardue-Okimoto are running for office to change policy, change the world