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The National Nursing Network Organization—Web Log

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Sunday, July 30, 2006

Preparing for the Future

Pictured: June Schulte

As the mother of five adult children, I have many reasons to support the National Nurse Act of 2006. Now that they have moved on from home, I am concerned that they have access to good, affordable health care. My reasons arise as questions: Will my children have a way to get their health related questions answered? Will my child with diabetes know enough about self care? Will our country ever get a national health focus that encompasses the needs of growing families?

My sister is a nurse, so I know nurses give a lot to their profession. When I served as a hospital chaplain intern, I quickly saw how vital our nurses are. They are on the front lines of care and most people trust their nurses to assist their care and to answer important questions about their care. When one patient with diabetes I was following complained of leg pain following surgery, it was a nurse who discovered the infection.

How will we cope with the evident nursing shortage that is looming? What if there is a national health emergency? How can we encourage nursing vocations? I am soon to become a grandmother; what does the future of health care in this country look like?

Isn't it about time that we take action for today and prepare for the future through the National Nurse Act, so that nursing in America can have a central focus? I say YES, and what took us so long?! Thank-you, nurses!!

~ June M. Schulte, Jericho, Vermont

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Sunday, July 30, 2006   Post only 

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Archived post

Friday, July 28, 2006

Promote Health Education Through A National Nurse

Pictured: Donna Jagger

As a women's health nurse for over 25 years working in Labor and Delivery, teaching childbirth classes and helping Moms learn how to breastfeed their babies, I am sure that the office of a National Nurse would be a fantastic way to promote health education with our present and next generation!

As a Lactation Consultant, I know we have lots of work to do to influence our culture and see that breastfeeding should be
the normal behavior for mothers and babies. When we support the breastfeeding dyad we not only help to reduce the risk of middle ear and respiratory infections, allergies, childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, but we also lessen the risks for mom to develop breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and osteoporosis.

But most significant is that we reduce health care costs and create a healthier society! The miracles of childbirth and the natural system of infant nutrition (AKA breastfeeding) should be well explored with health care providers on a regular basis, as part of our educational and health care system.

An adoption of the National Nurse Act would certainly afford nurses like myself to engage in the education of preventive health practices for all Americans! The vast knowledge of the nursing profession, can offer a world of good to every American, strengthening the core of America, the family.

Donna Jagger , RNC IBCLC CCE
Lactation Consultant
Community Medical Center
New Jersey

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Archived post

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

In Full Support of A National Nurse

Pictured: Elaine Williams

I am in full support of HR 4903 because the American public deserves to know and understand what we do. People desperately need education in health maintenance and even more importantly in understanding their own disease processes, medications and care. I have practiced nursing for the past 32 years and worriedly watch as more and more physicians have decided that "patient teaching" is no longer part of their job, in part, due to time constraints and low or no reimbursement for their time. Nursing has always found the time to "patient teach" but it is becoming increasingly more difficult due to poor staffing and the nursing shortage.

We need an organized approach and good leadership. We need the recognition to attract fresh new recruits to this wonderful and rewarding profession. We need a voice...one loud, educated, credible voice.

Elaine S. Williams RN, BSN, CGRN
Pennsylvania

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Wednesday, July 26, 2006   Post only 

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Anonymous Anonymous– 
Yes, just what we need another government agency with more government employees, promoting more programs which attempt to take over your life.
Blogger Mother Jones RN– 
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Blogger Mother Jones RN– 
Obviously, Mr. or Ms. Anonymous, you don't get it. Do you really think this office is going to take over your life? Read they bill, it’s not about taking over lives, it’s about saving them.

Know your facts before you criticize an excellent piece of legislation.

Mother Jones RN
Anonymous HMsupporter– 
Thanks for the pertinent comment mother jones! Clearly in all my years as a nurse I can absolutely verify the need for more public education for health care! Maybe we would have less SIDS, childhood obesity, exponentially rising diabetes rates, cancer rates, increased heart disease rates in women and other physical and mental health care issues with more education for all! Hmmm, saving lives...what a concept!


Archived post

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Promote Visibility-Buy A Button or A Bumper Sticker


Support the National Nurse Campaign! Visit Cafe Press and purchase a button or bumper sticker to let others know about HR 4903. Thanks to those of you who have already done so.

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Tuesday, July 25, 2006   Post only 

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Archived post

Monday, July 24, 2006

Words of Support From Oregonian

Pictured: Mac Prichard

One of the key jobs of the proposed Office of the National Nurse is providing practical, preventative health care information through presentations at schools, libraries and other public places. By educating the public about the consequences of alcohol and drug use and the importance of making healthy life choices, America's 2.9 million nurses in the country could make an important difference in reducing drug and alcohol abuse.

Mac Prichard is communications director for Reclaiming Futures, a national initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that helps teenagers caught in the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime.

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Monday, July 24, 2006   Post only 

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Archived post

Friday, July 21, 2006

Spreading the News About HR 4903 in New York

Pictured: Edie Brous

Today's newsletter asked supporters of HR 4903 to submit a statement along with a picture to the National Nurse Team. Here is one we received from New York.

The National Nurse Act is a critical step in addressing the public health crisis of an escalating nursing shortage. Utilization of nursing expertise at the federal level will allow for appropriate and effective resource allocation. Health care safety must be a priority of our government.

Edie Brous, RN, BSN, MS, MPH, JD

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Archived post

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Maryland Supporter Speaks Out

Pictured: Dr. Joachim Voss

I am a strong supporter of the proposed National Nurse Office. Nurses are the largest workforce amongst all health professions and our demands grow weekly with new discoveries in technology, research and clinical practice. For example, recent health policy legislation adds tremendous pressure to fulfill the mandatory nurse ratios. Therefore, we need more support from Congress and the House to educate a substantial workforce to staff our hospitals and nursing homes adequately. In order to change the current situation, nurses need to educate and represent their members of Congress, the House. Funding is needed to develop "Principles of Sustainability for the Nursing Profession" to lead us successfully through the 21st century.

Focused health campaigns could guide training efforts and health programs to improve the poor health of many Americans. Prevention and health education in kindergartens, schools, universities, churches and community centers have the potential to reverse a national obesity epidemic that will decrease the live expectancy of Americans by 2020. Nurses can and will have a major impact and the National Nurses Office would provide a platform to plan, design, and execute these tasks.

In September 2006, I will become assistant professor at the University of Washington in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing & Health Systems.

Joachim Voss, PhD, RN
NIH Research Fellow
Maryland

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Archived post

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

California Nurse In Support of HR 4903

Pictured-Susan Perry, Nurse Educator

"This is an idea I've been mulling around in my own head for a long time. As a patient and nurse advocate and educator, I've long proposed that education as the only way to bring about responsible change in our profession. As a nursing educator, I also see firsthand the desperate need for patient education prior to hospitalization. The National Nurse bill creates a program that could effectively accomplish this and I'm behind you all the way.

The more people know before they come into the hospital, the more likely they are to have a successful hospitalization. Many patients also share their hospital experiences with others.

Help us have an educated health care consumer by supporting HR 4903."

Respectfully,
Susan Perry RN BSN PHN LNC
Coronado, CA

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Tuesday, July 18, 2006   Post only 

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Archived post

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Supporters Speak Out About HR 4903

Pictured-Dennis Smith courtesy of ABC Television

Nurses and the public are very interested in hearing what supporters are saying about the National Nurse Act of 2006. They would like to hear from you as well, so please email your thoughts, accompanied with a picture to The National Nurse Team.

Dennis Smith, Chairman and CEO of First Responders Financial, LLC sent in a statement today. The First Responders Financial Services Company was created exclusively for the nation's first responders, including nurses.

Chairman Smith is the author of 14 books, including Report From Ground Zero. His latest book is San Francisco is Burning The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires. Chairman Smith is a reknown New York firefighter who presented testimony in front of the US Commission on Terrorism (9/11). For more information about Smith's work, visit www.dennissmith.com

"We very much need someone of recognized public standing to inspire young people to join the thinning ranks of American nurses, and there is no better person to do that than a National Nurse, supported by the Office of The National Nurse. This is not the creation of another bureaucracy, but a very needed voice in our government and our communities. Just one question sums it all up: Who are the fundamental communicators in the American medical community? The answer is obvious, and now our nurses need a national platform."
-Dennis Smith

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Sunday, July 16, 2006   Post only 

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Archived post

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Thank You Representative Greg Walden (OR)

Pictured: Congressman Greg Walden (OR)

The National Nurse Team welcomes the addition of Congressman Greg Walden as a cosponsor to HR 4903. Congressman Walden co-chairs the 182 member House Rural Health Care Coalition and is committed to advancing rural priorities in health care policy.

Here is Congressman Walden's statement about the National Nurse Act of 2006:

"I'm proud to strongly support the establishment of an Office of the National Nurse. Nurses are a vital link in health care delivery systems throughout the nation. They are skilled, compassionate and accessible to patients, which makes them uniquely positioned to serve as patient caregivers and as patient educators. Education efforts led by nurses could dramatically reduce the prevalence of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, saving both lives and health care costs. An Office of the National Nurse could help bolster the coordination of such efforts, increasing their efficiency and efficacy, while also raising public awareness of the tremendous asset nurses are to health care delivery and encouraging people to consider entering the nursing profession."

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Wednesday, July 12, 2006   Post only 

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Archived post

Friday, July 07, 2006

The National Nurse Team invites you to email teri@nationalnurse.info to receive this free poster. You will need an Adobe Reader program on your computer to open and print this.

Also, please consider stopping by the National Nurse Cafe Press website to purchase a button, bear, mousepad, poster, bumper sticker or mug. There is a very small profit margin for the National Nurse Campaign but these extra dollars help with long distance phone calls, the email newsletter data base, and printing and mailing costs. Your small contributions are helping to keep this effort strong.

HR 4903 is a 100% grassroots effort which means the campaign is not being run by "professional" lobbyists or organizations. Even our book keeper, accountant, and webmasters are volunteers. The team hired a lawyer and formed the National Nursing Network Organization; this is now a non-profit coorporation and not tax-exempt, so contributions are not tax-deductible. The rationale for doing this is to keep the campaign "clean" and also to assure that the team may lobby legally.

Teri, Alisa, and Terri cannot thank you enough for all of the supportive emails, comments, and suggestions. Nursing is TEAMWORK, and when we work together, we deliver the best care to assure positive outcomes for our patients; in this case it will be the American public!

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Friday, July 07, 2006   Post only 

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Archived post

Sunday, July 02, 2006

George Mason University Students Defend HR 4903

Pictured left to right or counter clockwise are Professor Brenda Sheingold,Carla Stemmer, Dane Sehnert, Suzanne Arbogast and Alexis McPoland

The National Nurse Team received this report from Leesburg, Virgina. On Thursday, June 29, 2006, the George Mason University Master of Science in Nursing class, Organization of Nursing and Health Care Delivery Systems, gave mock Congressional testimony regarding the nursing shortage with actions to remedy it. One group representing patients, spoke in strong support of The National Nurse Act of 2006 and encouraged all in attendance to contact their representatives and spread the word to their colleagues. In attendance were senior leaders of the Inova Health System, Karen Drenkard, David Goldberg and Patrick Walters. This healthcare system is located in Northern Virginia. Members of the class were surprised that they had not heard of HR 4903 and vowed to promote it using handouts provided by the National Nurse Team and this web page. The class is taught by Brenda Sheingold, RN, MSOD who uses many innovative teaching techniques when instructing her students.

The National Nursing Network Organization Team—Sunday, July 02, 2006   Post only 

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