Editor’s Letter
Hello everyone,
Despite the chilly temperatures gripping much of the country, the 2008 presidential election is really starting to heat up!
No matter where you stand on the issues or whom you are rooting for, you have to agree it's going to be an exciting year ahead. Heath care is, as it should be, one of the top issues in this election!
With so many tough choices to make and issues to decide, here's a snapshot of what happening in the election as relates to health care and nursing (our favorite subjects!).
We're also including some interesting nursing stories from around the world.
See you next month!
Katy Schiel
What's happening on the Republican side...
McCain's Healthcare Plan
He's not winning any endorsements from nursing groups, but Senator John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, has proposed health care cost cutting measures that would enlarge the role of nurse practitioners. His plan would "Support innovative delivery systems, such as clinics in retail outlets and other ways that provide greater market flexibility in permitting appropriate roles for nurse practitioners, nurses, and doctors."
Many campaign watchers argue that Huckabee won the Iowa Caucus on the logic of his heath care plan, which emphasizes prevention over treatment. Huckabee, a former diabetic, has stated: "We have to change a system that happily pays $30,000 for a diabetic to have his foot amputated, but won't pay for the shoes that would save his foot."
Romney is out, but his health care legacy remains
Despite his exit from the race, Mitt Romney might have one of the longest lasting impacts on health care. As Governor of Massachusetts, Romney signed into law the Massachusetts health reform law, which requires that nearly all Massachusetts residents buy health insurance coverage or face hefty fines. The plan also strives to make the coverage affordable to lower-income earners by using funds previously designated to cover the health costs of the uninsured.
"It's a conservative idea," said Romney in 2006, "insisting that individuals have responsibility for their own health care. I think it appeals to people on both sides of the aisle: insurance for everyone without a tax increase."
What's happening on the Democrat side...
Clinton gets ANA endorsement...
The American Nurses Association is throwing its considerable might behind Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential race. The ANA, which represents the interests of 2.9 million nurses in the US, endorsed Senator Clinton because of her promise to "make health system reform a priority." Senator Clinton has a solid history of working for the interests of nurses. She has long supported programs to boost the ranks of nurses, improve the quality of their working environment, and has also introduced grants to expand nurse magnet colleges.
In their press release, ANA President Rebecca M. Patton MSN, RN, CNOR, stated, "Senator Clinton has shown a commitment to implementing real change in our health care system to ensure high quality, affordable and accessible care. She has also recognized the importance of educating, recruiting and retaining RNs, and the need to improve the nurse's work environment which includes addressing safe and appropriate staffing."
The endorsement was a boost to the struggling Senator's presidential campaign, which saw its momentum sag after this month's democratic primaries.
... but California nurses give support to Obama
Obama is also getting some support from nurses in California. In a recent ad campaign, the California Nurses Association(CNA) use Obama's words to criticize a heath care reform plan by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The radio ads being aired by CNA announce that, "The nurses of California agree with Senator Barack Obama: the government shouldn't punish people who can't afford health insurance." The ad also quotes Senator Obama: "Some folks who said that it's not possible to provide universal healthcare coverage unless there's a mandate. Their essential argument is the only way to get everybody covered is if the government forces you to buy health insurance. If you don't buy it, then you'll be penalized in some way....The reason people don't have health insurance is because they can't afford it."
In Other News...
Hospitals in the UK to ban nurse uniforms outside of work?
Responding to public outcry, hospital officials in Lancashire County, UK are considering a ban on wearing nurse uniforms outside of hospitals. While there is no concrete evidence that nurse uniforms spread disease, there is a strong public perception that the uniforms pose a grave danger to the public.
Sue Reed, the nursing director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, explained: "The issue of nurses wearing the hospital uniform outside of trust premises has become a growing concern for the public and the trust. While expert opinion suggests that this does not pose a significant hazard in terms of spreading infection, public perception is that there is a risk."
Although area nurses are leery of the plan and complain it will extend their workday, one former area nurse is urging the county's hospitals to go ahead with the plan. Former nurse Mavis McAteer, 74, from Goosnargh, believes her husband Archie contracted both MRSA and Clostridium Difficile in 2006 when he was recovering from cancer. The McAteers were told that those particular infections are often brought into hospitals from outside.
"Everybody used to laugh because he was so fit for his age," she said, "But there has just been a complete turnaround."
How one nurse practitioner once left men in the dust
You might never guess it, but Betsy King, now a family nurse practitioner in Yuma AZ, was a cycling pioneer who logged over 10,000 miles a year and competed in multiple Tour de France races during her career as a professional cyclist. In the 1970s, King "stumbled into" cycling after giving up smoking. Soon she was leaving the best female racers in the dust, and soon after that, the male racers. But her fame really kicked in after she was allowed to participate in the oldest professional road race between the French cities of Bordeaux and Paris. King did well and suddenly the doors were opened to professional women bicycle racers everywhere.
"All the crowds cheering and the people throwing water on you," she said, describing the thrill of crossing the finishing line. "It's amazing. It gives me chills just thinking about it."
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