Reprinted from a press release of National Nurses United by its staff on May 8, 2021.
To mark Nurses Week, registered nurses from across California will pay online visits to state legislators on Tuesday, May 11 and Wednesday, May 12, to advocate in support of bills that advance the work of nurses and protect public health, the California Nurses Association (CNA) announced today.
“Nurses are fierce fighters and patient advocates,” said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN and a president of California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC). “We know that lobbying for the betterment of our patients and public health is an integral part of that work. The Covid-19 pandemic has illuminated in stark and deadly relief that there is an immediate necessity for lawmakers to create enforceable standards around infection control, equipment inventory and distribution, Covid-19 testing for nurses, and to address the implicit biases that impact the health and well-being of millions of Californians.”
“As nurses who have been at the bedside during this devastating pandemic, we have seen how our hospitals failed both nurses and patients,” said Sandy Reding, RN and a president of CNA/NNOC. “While we carry the emotional scars of this pandemic, we also hold the insights on how best to address the failings that tragically led to the deaths of more than 62,000 Californians and 578,000 people in the United States. The changes we seek will strengthen our ability to care for our patients, and lead to a healthier California.” …
