As the dawn of 2012 beckons, I hold a new vision for the nursing profession.
Along with the rest of large segments of humanity, nurses are waking up. Nurses are realizing that the old paradigms no longer apply, and that the vestiges of Old World thinking (when it comes to nursing and medicine) are dying as we speak. Health care must be transformed, and since nurses are the largest segment of the American health care industry (and perhaps in the world), we nurses could indeed "occupy" health care in a way that could potentially turn the entire industry on its head. The political will of nurses will be tested, and I am encouraged by the rumblings that I hear as I put my ear to the virtual tracks.
Contrary to popular images propagated by the media (in Hollywood, television, the news, and other sources), nurses are not handmaidens to doctors, sex kittens in white uniforms, or background characters who simply serve as foils to George Clooney and other TV doctors. (Although we may notice on close inspection that only actors who play doctors on shows such as "ER" ever seem to move into the limelight.) Nurses are more than this, whether the media wish to portray us realistically or not.
As usual, nurses have ranked as the most trusted professionals in the United States yet again in the most recent Gallup poll. This is the 12th time out of 13 years that nurses have earned this honor from the American people. The only occasion when nurses were not the number one most trusted professionals was in 2001 when firefighters earned that top spot following their heroic efforts in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
From my own perspective, one way for nurses to be more effective is to be more vigilant in their own self care. That's why I have decided to offer my own coaching services for nurses to assist them in living the healthiest and most satisfying lives possible. Nurses can impact the health care industry when they are healthy and balanced. Thus, preventing burnout and adopting a healthy lifestyle can have a far reaching impact on patients, fellow nurses, other colleagues, and beyond.
I am proud to be a nurse, and I can see that the nursing industry is still in it infancy when it comes to embracing change, championing that change, and subverting the dominant paradigms that keep nurses and nursing care relegated to the past rather than focused on the future. Still, I'm hopeful, optimistic and looking forward to the ways in which nursing---and the world at large---will transform in 2012. These are momentous times, and we have only seen the tip of the iceberg as Americans---and people all over the world---wake up to the many disparities that are crying out for transformation. Nurses can lead the way in health care, and I hope to be part of the actions and conversations that bring that transformation into being.
Showing posts with label activism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label activism. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The "Occupy" Movement and Healthcare
For the last several months, I have been actively supporting the now worldwide "Occupy" movement that has swept the world following the initiation of the famous "Occupy Wall Street" action in New York City. Here in Santa Fe, New Mexico, my wife and I have taken part in marches, rallies, protests and teach-ins, and the "Occupy Santa Fe" encampment continues near downtown.
Although the issues broached by "Occupiers" throughout the country are seemingly disparate and multifaceted, I believe it is only through the communication of these different voices and concerns that central themes (and possible demands) can eventually be distilled.
As a nurse and healthcare professional, I have seen the face of the healthcare system up close, and it is (still) quite broken. With innumerable for-profit insurance companies dictating what doctors can and cannot do, and tens of millions of Americans living completely without health insurance, the system eschews the notion of universal coverage and leaves millions in the proverbial dust. And since almost every industrialized country in the world has some form of universal coverage, the United States lags far behind, not only in this respect, but also in infant mortality and other important markers of health and well-being of the citizenry at large. It is a shameful state of affairs.
Just today on National Public Radio, I heard a report quoting Republican candidate Ron Paul as he railed against the notion of universal coverage. When asked if an uninsured 30-year-old with a catastrophic illness should receive expensive care in order to save his life, Paul intimated that there are other ways for these sorts of people to be cared for (such as churches and neighbors). He stated, "That's what freedom is all about---taking your own risks." Although he wouldn't directly say that society should just allow this individual to die, some members of the audience loudly proclaimed that, indeed, this uninsured American's care should not be paid for and he should be allowed to meet his (uninsured) fate. A shocking notion, especially since doctors (and Ron Paul is himself an M.D.) take an oath to "do no harm". (I have always wondered about the relative similarity between the words "Hippocratic" and "hypocritical".)
When it comes to the "Occupy" movement, my sense is that a more fair distribution of wealth, corporate responsibility (in terms of taxes, etc), economic justice (an admittedly broad and relatively ill-defined phrase), jobs, the end of war, and the initiation of broader protections (such as universal health coverage) are some of the mainstays of the movement's demands.
As autocracies around the world crumble before our eyes, it was only a matter of time until such a popular people's movement erupted from its latent slumber here in the U.S.. People can only take so much, and when the number of uninsured Americans topped 52 million just last year (40% higher than in 2001), there was no reason for Americans to not decide to speak out and demand change. And if you couple the nationwide jobless numbers with the numbers of uninsured citizens (let alone the list of companies---like Wal-Mart---who are jettisoning their healthcare coverage), the recipe for popular unrest only grows.
Rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease are ballooning in this country, and childhood obesity and chronic illness are equally on the rise. As Americans get sicker and fatter, the nation's largest employers are cutting their healthcare coverage and leaving millions of American workers (and their families) in the lurch.
Meanwhile, the American right proclaims that "Occupiers" are dirty hippies, unemployed and looking for a handout. From my perspective, this is both unenlightened thinking and plain ignorant hyperbole. I have marched and rallied with retired schoolteachers, nurses, housepainters, unemployed laborers, and gainfully employed citizens from multiple sectors of society. Yes, some "Occupiers" are unemployed, but every unemployed protester I have spoken with simply wants a job and benefits for them and their family, and they're willing to pay taxes to get what they want. (They just want wealthy Americans and American corporations to pay their fair share.)
The noise and perceived "inconvenience" of massive protests will, in my opinion, continue as the movement galvanizes a broader spectrum of Americans and gains clarity as it works internally to crystallize its main messages. And as the protests continue, those 50 million Americans still languish without health insurance, millions more look for work that cannot be found, and the corporate and political powers that be bide their time in hopes that the restless citizenry will fall back into a television-induced slumber. Aside from a nationwide campaign to taint drinking water with Ambien or Lunesta in hopes of a sleepier and more ignorant nation, the chances of this movement simply being lulled into complacency is more remote than Wal-Mart offering its workers the benefits they deserve.
Although the issues broached by "Occupiers" throughout the country are seemingly disparate and multifaceted, I believe it is only through the communication of these different voices and concerns that central themes (and possible demands) can eventually be distilled.
As a nurse and healthcare professional, I have seen the face of the healthcare system up close, and it is (still) quite broken. With innumerable for-profit insurance companies dictating what doctors can and cannot do, and tens of millions of Americans living completely without health insurance, the system eschews the notion of universal coverage and leaves millions in the proverbial dust. And since almost every industrialized country in the world has some form of universal coverage, the United States lags far behind, not only in this respect, but also in infant mortality and other important markers of health and well-being of the citizenry at large. It is a shameful state of affairs.
Just today on National Public Radio, I heard a report quoting Republican candidate Ron Paul as he railed against the notion of universal coverage. When asked if an uninsured 30-year-old with a catastrophic illness should receive expensive care in order to save his life, Paul intimated that there are other ways for these sorts of people to be cared for (such as churches and neighbors). He stated, "That's what freedom is all about---taking your own risks." Although he wouldn't directly say that society should just allow this individual to die, some members of the audience loudly proclaimed that, indeed, this uninsured American's care should not be paid for and he should be allowed to meet his (uninsured) fate. A shocking notion, especially since doctors (and Ron Paul is himself an M.D.) take an oath to "do no harm". (I have always wondered about the relative similarity between the words "Hippocratic" and "hypocritical".)
When it comes to the "Occupy" movement, my sense is that a more fair distribution of wealth, corporate responsibility (in terms of taxes, etc), economic justice (an admittedly broad and relatively ill-defined phrase), jobs, the end of war, and the initiation of broader protections (such as universal health coverage) are some of the mainstays of the movement's demands.
As autocracies around the world crumble before our eyes, it was only a matter of time until such a popular people's movement erupted from its latent slumber here in the U.S.. People can only take so much, and when the number of uninsured Americans topped 52 million just last year (40% higher than in 2001), there was no reason for Americans to not decide to speak out and demand change. And if you couple the nationwide jobless numbers with the numbers of uninsured citizens (let alone the list of companies---like Wal-Mart---who are jettisoning their healthcare coverage), the recipe for popular unrest only grows.
Rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease are ballooning in this country, and childhood obesity and chronic illness are equally on the rise. As Americans get sicker and fatter, the nation's largest employers are cutting their healthcare coverage and leaving millions of American workers (and their families) in the lurch.
Meanwhile, the American right proclaims that "Occupiers" are dirty hippies, unemployed and looking for a handout. From my perspective, this is both unenlightened thinking and plain ignorant hyperbole. I have marched and rallied with retired schoolteachers, nurses, housepainters, unemployed laborers, and gainfully employed citizens from multiple sectors of society. Yes, some "Occupiers" are unemployed, but every unemployed protester I have spoken with simply wants a job and benefits for them and their family, and they're willing to pay taxes to get what they want. (They just want wealthy Americans and American corporations to pay their fair share.)
The noise and perceived "inconvenience" of massive protests will, in my opinion, continue as the movement galvanizes a broader spectrum of Americans and gains clarity as it works internally to crystallize its main messages. And as the protests continue, those 50 million Americans still languish without health insurance, millions more look for work that cannot be found, and the corporate and political powers that be bide their time in hopes that the restless citizenry will fall back into a television-induced slumber. Aside from a nationwide campaign to taint drinking water with Ambien or Lunesta in hopes of a sleepier and more ignorant nation, the chances of this movement simply being lulled into complacency is more remote than Wal-Mart offering its workers the benefits they deserve.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Bloggers Unite---Refugees
Today, November 10th, 2008, bloggers around the world are posting about issues surrounding the plight of refugees. As we writers sit at our computers, composing thoughts to provoke the thinking and compassion of others, millions of men, women, and children on several continents fight for their lives and their rights to a safe home, free from fear and persecution.
For as long as human beings have engaged in battle and warfare, displaced persons have wandered the earth in search of a home. Recently, tens of thousands of refugees within the Democratic Republic of Congo have fled refugee camps due to increased fighting and direct attacks on refugee camps, possibly due to ethnic or religious differences. The Congolese people have suffered for decades, and there is no end in sight to their continued persecution and internal displacement.
The main global organization vis-a-vis the coordination of refugee protection is the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Other organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Refugees International, and the American Refugee Committee are all committed to protecting refugees and providing relief and financial assistance that can mean all the difference for displaced persons struggling to maintain their health, safety and economic well-being under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Similarly, organizations such as Doctors Without Borders manage to provide essential medical care to individuals and families suffering from acute injuries, untreated disease, psychological trauma, and the effects of poverty and deprivation.
Refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Georgia, Darfur, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and other troubled regions amount to an enormous population of world citizens who require medical care, advocacy, protection, shelter, clothing, food, and a means by which to make a living and educate their children, many of whom have never known a normal life free from displacement and suffering.
It is our collective responsibility to support the organizations that provide services and advocacy to refugees throughout the world. It is also our individual responsibility to pressure our elected officials to take action and to push for legislation that enhances the work of the lead refugee agencies that bear the brunt of the Herculean labor involved in supporting the millions of displaced people in need of essential services.
War, when waged by any country, almost ubiquitously creates refugees, and such battles frequently stir up---or are originally caused by---religious, ethnic and cultural differences between groups that fuel the fires of hatred and genocide that we have seen all too often in the current century and the last. While much of humanity has called for a universal end to war, there is currently no end in sight, and it is thus incumbent for humanity as a whole to work collectively to assuage the effects of war, racism, hatred, and violence.
Just as it has been said that none of us are truly free while others are enslaved, it can also be said that none of us are ever truly living in peace and safety until all are living in peace and safety. Perhaps a day will come when the plight of refugees will be an historic anomaly. However, the 21st century, indeed in its infancy, has already offered us a myriad of evidence that war, displacement, and genocide are still realities necessitating a powerful communal response.
Yes, today is indeed a day for blogging about refugees. But when the day is done and the articles are read and digested, it is then that the message truly must take wing---and we all begin to take action.
For as long as human beings have engaged in battle and warfare, displaced persons have wandered the earth in search of a home. Recently, tens of thousands of refugees within the Democratic Republic of Congo have fled refugee camps due to increased fighting and direct attacks on refugee camps, possibly due to ethnic or religious differences. The Congolese people have suffered for decades, and there is no end in sight to their continued persecution and internal displacement.
The main global organization vis-a-vis the coordination of refugee protection is the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Other organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Refugees International, and the American Refugee Committee are all committed to protecting refugees and providing relief and financial assistance that can mean all the difference for displaced persons struggling to maintain their health, safety and economic well-being under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Similarly, organizations such as Doctors Without Borders manage to provide essential medical care to individuals and families suffering from acute injuries, untreated disease, psychological trauma, and the effects of poverty and deprivation.
Refugees from Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Georgia, Darfur, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and other troubled regions amount to an enormous population of world citizens who require medical care, advocacy, protection, shelter, clothing, food, and a means by which to make a living and educate their children, many of whom have never known a normal life free from displacement and suffering.
It is our collective responsibility to support the organizations that provide services and advocacy to refugees throughout the world. It is also our individual responsibility to pressure our elected officials to take action and to push for legislation that enhances the work of the lead refugee agencies that bear the brunt of the Herculean labor involved in supporting the millions of displaced people in need of essential services.
War, when waged by any country, almost ubiquitously creates refugees, and such battles frequently stir up---or are originally caused by---religious, ethnic and cultural differences between groups that fuel the fires of hatred and genocide that we have seen all too often in the current century and the last. While much of humanity has called for a universal end to war, there is currently no end in sight, and it is thus incumbent for humanity as a whole to work collectively to assuage the effects of war, racism, hatred, and violence.
Just as it has been said that none of us are truly free while others are enslaved, it can also be said that none of us are ever truly living in peace and safety until all are living in peace and safety. Perhaps a day will come when the plight of refugees will be an historic anomaly. However, the 21st century, indeed in its infancy, has already offered us a myriad of evidence that war, displacement, and genocide are still realities necessitating a powerful communal response.
Yes, today is indeed a day for blogging about refugees. But when the day is done and the articles are read and digested, it is then that the message truly must take wing---and we all begin to take action.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
The Case Foundation's Make it Your Own Award
I am announcing that a proposal submitted by my dear friend Imre Kepes in Massachusetts was selected as a top 20 finalist among nearly 5,000 entries nationwide by the Case Foundation for its Make It Your Own Awards, a grant program that "challenges people from all walks of life to discuss what matters most to them, decide what kind of community they want, and take action together". If you peruse the proposals of the 20 finalists, you will see an amazing array of projects which have the potential to change the world by empowering people within their own communities.
I am asking for your support to help Imre Kepes' project be selected by on-line voting to be one of the Final Four to be awarded an additional $25,000. The Case Foundation will also give $2,500 to the favorite charity of the first 10 people who vote for the four projects that actually become the Make It Your Own Awards Final Four.
Imre's project---The Community Vision Project of Holyoke, MA (a struggling post-industrial city which has seen better days)---will develop a team of youth leaders to inspire others and gather input from a cross-section of residents to develop ideas to make their community a better place. Together they will create a Community Vision Map that will graphically express these ideas and help to inform and mobilize the community. Action teams will work to turn these ideas into action. The Community Vision Project is a collaboration between the Holyoke Youth Task Force Youth Commission, Hampshire College and other youth programs and adults in the community.
To vote for the Community Vision Project to be one of the Final Four, please log onto http://miyo.casefoundation.org/node/6736/promote and simply click on the vote button. Voting ends April 22. Please note that after you have selected your "final four", you will receive an email to which you must respond in order to confirm your vote!
Thank you so much!
I am asking for your support to help Imre Kepes' project be selected by on-line voting to be one of the Final Four to be awarded an additional $25,000. The Case Foundation will also give $2,500 to the favorite charity of the first 10 people who vote for the four projects that actually become the Make It Your Own Awards Final Four.
Imre's project---The Community Vision Project of Holyoke, MA (a struggling post-industrial city which has seen better days)---will develop a team of youth leaders to inspire others and gather input from a cross-section of residents to develop ideas to make their community a better place. Together they will create a Community Vision Map that will graphically express these ideas and help to inform and mobilize the community. Action teams will work to turn these ideas into action. The Community Vision Project is a collaboration between the Holyoke Youth Task Force Youth Commission, Hampshire College and other youth programs and adults in the community.
To vote for the Community Vision Project to be one of the Final Four, please log onto http://miyo.casefoundation.org/node/6736/promote and simply click on the vote button. Voting ends April 22. Please note that after you have selected your "final four", you will receive an email to which you must respond in order to confirm your vote!
Thank you so much!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
A Niece After My Own Heart
My niece Sabina, already a seasoned activist at 18 years of age, just returned from her "alternative Spring Break" trip to the Dominican Republic under the auspices of Tufts University. Calling from the Atlanta airport on her way home to Boston, she breathlessly expounded to me the eye-opening experience which she had just undergone. Dispensing medications to isolated rural villages, her group targeted Haitian refugees living in substandard conditions, often without access to medical care and proper sanitation. Having done similar work myself in an impoverished region of rural Jamaica, I can fully relate to the transforming power of such an experience, as well as the challenge of reintegrating back into the "normal" day to day life which you may now seem to have outgrown.
With sights set on social justice, activism, community organizing, and a Masters in Public Health, this young woman is poised to change the world, along with many of her peers. I am in awe how such a young person can accomplish so much, seemingly burning her wick at three ends, balancing school, activism, and speaking engagements at colleges and universities around the country. Just recently, she succeeded in helping to organize a protest in New York City to underscore the economic support which China is providing to the Sudanese government vis-a-vis the on-going genocide in Darfur.
An enormous phalanx of spirited young activists are poised to take the world by storm, and I am inspired and proud, happy to stand at their side. Hope is certainly a thing with wings, and this young woman who I love has wings powerful enough to lift us all.
With sights set on social justice, activism, community organizing, and a Masters in Public Health, this young woman is poised to change the world, along with many of her peers. I am in awe how such a young person can accomplish so much, seemingly burning her wick at three ends, balancing school, activism, and speaking engagements at colleges and universities around the country. Just recently, she succeeded in helping to organize a protest in New York City to underscore the economic support which China is providing to the Sudanese government vis-a-vis the on-going genocide in Darfur.
An enormous phalanx of spirited young activists are poised to take the world by storm, and I am inspired and proud, happy to stand at their side. Hope is certainly a thing with wings, and this young woman who I love has wings powerful enough to lift us all.
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