National Nurses United

left on the RNRN mission. Litten's RNRN volunteer team used the donations to buy thousands of dollars worth of water and food, in addi- tion to what the AFL-CIO/RNRN deployment was able to supply. When the deployment came to an end on Oct. 18, that was only the beginning of nurses doing whatever it took to make their voices heard at the highest levels of power, call- ing on elected officials to stop stalling and take meaningful action to save lives in Puerto Rico. In an October letter to all members of Congress, NNU Co- Presidents Deborah Burger, RN and Jean Ross, RN called for Congress to take urgent action, calling the response of the federal government "unacceptable for the wealthiest country in the world." On Oct. 26, recently returned RNRN volunteers also traveled to Washington, D.C. to hold a press conference with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, and several other Puerto Rican members of Congress to speak out about the horrific conditions they witnessed. At the conclusion of the press conference, RNs met with Sen. Bernie Sanders to brief him on what they had seen, ahead of Sanders' own journey to the island. "It pains us to know that for many Puerto Ricans, the volunteers on this deployment provided the only aid they received and were only a temporary buffer between life and death," said Kennedy, at the press conference. "If our volunteer nurses can provide this aid, how has our government, with all of its resources, been unable to do the same?" Kennedy later also testified to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, at their Nov. 2 panel on the 2017 hurricane season. "NNU urges Congress to use its oversight and appropriation authority to ensure that FEMA and other U.S. agen- cies respond to this crisis effectively. It is unacceptable that citizens of the riches country on earth have been denied necessary humanitari- an aid and left to die," Kennedy told the committee. "With a growing climate crisis, relief to Puerto Rico must come in the form of respon- sible measures that can build a sustainable energy future." With half of the island still without power, nurses emphasize they will continue speaking out. There is some hope, say nurses, with Sen. Sanders introducing a bill, along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, on Nov. 28, proposing a $146 million Puerto Rico recovery plan, to allow renewable resources to provide up to 70 percent of the island's energy needs within a decade. But so much more still needs to be done. According to Evans, that plea for help from the mayor of San Juan has no expiration date for the nurses, who will continue advocating for the people of Puerto Rico, however they can, from wherever they can. It's a commitment Evans even got to express to Mayor Cruz per- sonally, when she met her during the deployment. "I said, 'I heard you,'" said Evans. "I got to tell her in person, with my own voice, we were listening. The nurses were listening. We heard you, and we're here." "Our government doesn't have it together," said Evans. "But the nurses did." Kari Jones is a communications specialist with National Nurses United. O C T O B E R | N O V E M B E R | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 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 19 "Our government doesn't have it together. But the nurses did." — Cyndi Evans, RN

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