Editor’s Letter

By Sarah Rowell Nurse-Recruiter.com

Hello and a belated Happy New Year to nurses everywhere. We are now well into the first month of 2010. I have heard there is a national debate as to whether this year should be called ‘twenty ten’ or ‘two thousand and ten’. Personally, that seems a rather trivial matter to spend time discussing. More importantly in the headlines is the ravaged island of Haiti. The pictures and stories that appear to us each day are a constant reminder of the good fortune that the United States and so many other affluent countries are privy to. I know, for myself, that hearing of the devastation that the Haitians are facing certainly puts my trivial problems in the proper perspective. One of our articles this month takes a look at the desperate need for nurses in Haiti.

Many of us make resolutions at the start of the New Year. At the top of the list of the most popular resolutions are getting healthy and fit and becoming more organized. Maybe to this list, we could add the goal of reaching out to help our fellow mankind.

How to help Haiti? Send in the Nurses

By Sarah Rowell Nurse-Recruiter.com

In the days since a massive earthquake in Haiti on January 12 left tens of thousands dead and thousands more wounded, tens of thousands of U.S. Nurses have offered their assistance. If Haitians are ever going to recover from this devastation, they are going to need nurses, and lots of them.

Haiti's health-care infrastructure has basically crumbled. Many health care providers were killed in the earthquake. The local doctors and nurses who survived may be injured themselves and in shock. Most hospitals and clinics are either destroyed or overrun. Medicine and medical supplies are in short supply.

So far, more than 8,000 U.S. nurses have, in a response organized by National Nurses United and the renowned California Nurses Association, signaled their readiness to deploy to Haiti as soon as possible. The NNU and CAN is working with the U.S. Government and other nations as part of an international relief effort. "As reports of dire medical care shortages continue to pour in, we have thousands of registered nurses willing and ready to travel to Haiti", says NNU Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro. "We are doing everything in our power to get these nurses engaged as quickly as possible."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services wants to coordinate the operations so healthcare teams can go to where they are needed most to support those already working in the ravaged country. The HHS has 270 medical workers in Haiti now and is planning to send more. DMAT teams from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia and California are in Haiti. Some are working in an urgent care center set up on a soccer field, some are working in the airport with those who are leaving the country and some are working at the U.S. Embassy while others are helping to staff various hospitals. Most of the nurses that are working with governmental and nongovernmental organizations have some sort of expertise and training with disaster relief, say representatives of those organizations.

"Nurses are, by nature, people who want to help. There's a lot of energy and a lot of willingness to be generous and give time," says Elizabeth Sloand, CRNP, PHD, who has traveled to Haiti many times in her work as an assistant professor in the department of acute and chronic care at John Hopkins University School of Nursing in Baltimore and is preparing to return. The American Red Cross suggest that nurses sign up with a database created by the Center for International Disaster Information, which will take their names and information about language abilities and their specialties. The information will be offered to international non-governmental organizations looking for volunteers to go to Haiti. In the meantime, nurses can volunteer at their local Red Cross for work that might include aiding evacuees in certain regions. The National Nurses United union has more than 12,000 nurses signed up to go to Haiti but is still working on getting some of those nurses deployed. Although the process is frustrating, there is a long-term need for more nurses in Haiti so the representative from various aid groups encourage nurses to hang in there and be patient.

 

Nurse Recruiter Spotlight Business of the Month: CareCheckers: A Unique Healthcare Service

By Anita Woods, Carecheckers.com

CareCheckers LLC is a small, family run company with more than ten years of experience in home health and elder care. They understand, on a personal level, the challenges facing seniors - along with the concerns of family members caring for aging and disabled loved ones.

CareCheckers is a live-person telephone checkup service suitable for: seniors, disabled people, or anyone living alone and in need of daily monitoring. Their "care check" calls are designed to ensure the clients wellbeing on a daily basis. They also offer medication, meal, and activity reminders, along with friendly social interaction.

Unlike most telephone monitoring services, which rely on an automated system, their calls are made by caring and friendly representatives. This allows them to develop a relationship with the client and get a sense for when something just does not seem right.

Their service gives peace of mind to caregivers and family members by keeping them updated with daily reports sent to their email or mobile phone. In the event they detect a problem, the primary contact is notified immediately.

Their plans are fully customizable and for additional fees, clients can add up to three calls per day - including night and weekend calls. They can make calls to private residences, nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living facilities. CareCheckers is an affordable supplementary service that is well suited for those living moderately independently, yet need to be checked on regularly. They can help fill in the gaps between visits from family and healthcare professionals.

This is a special Nurse Recruiter Spotlight Business of the month and CareCheckers would greatly appreciate it if you would recommend their services to anyone you feel might benefit from a daily checkup call. For questions, or to request additional information and brochures, please call them at 1 (888) 477-0435, or visit www.carecheckers.com

 

Nurses Are Patient People Women's Light T-Shirt $18.99

Love A Nurse Ceramic Travel Mug $23.99

Nurses Call The Shots Kids Sweatshirt $18.99

 

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