Dayton Daily News December 21, 2024
As a registered nurse, I am writing to express my deep concern about the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mr. Kennedy, an environmental lawyer, has no qualifications for leading national health programs and has a well-documented history of spreading misinformation about and opposition to lifesaving vaccines. He has pledged to stop funding research for treatments and cures for deadly diseases. His opposition to vaccines could lead to a resurgence of childhood illnesses like polio and measles. Mr. Kennedy has said that “there is no vaccine that is safe or effective.” He helped fuel a deadly measles outbreak in American Samoa that killed 83 people. His appointment to the position of HHS Secretary would be a dangerous step backward for public health. I implore Senator-Elect Moreno to prioritize the health and safety of all Americans and vote against this nomination.
- Carol Roe, JD, MSN, RN, Miamisburg
Why RFK Jr Must not become HHS Secretary
By Donna A. Gaffney and Teri Mills
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/12/18/opinion-why-rfk-jr-must-not-become-hhs-secretary
Opinion: Why RFK Jr. must not become HHS secretary Putting a science denier and anti-vaccine activist in charge of the nation's health would be a dangerous, irresponsible move. Posted 4:00 AM
This holiday season, there ’ s much to be thankful for – our families, friends and living in a great country, even amidst political challenges. Most of all, we are grateful for our health because, as Mom always said, “ Without your health, you have nothing. ” The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been a cornerstone of medical advancement, playing a vital role in keeping us healthy. Even for those of us who are currently ill, scientists and researchers at the NIH have likely developed a treatment or diagnostic tool that we ’ ve personally benefited from. The NIH is responsible for improving health, revolutionizing science and serving society. Besides contributing to vaccine development (COVID-19, hepatitis and HPV, to name a few), the NIH helped establish the benefits of fluoride, reducing cavities in children, which were once so common that nearly every dental visit required a filling.
The NIH has played a key role in advancing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) through research, supporting its development and applications. Many of us have had an MRI or know someone who has benefited from this essential medical technology. The NIH has played a critical role in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic through groundbreaking research, funding and public health initiatives. It is not surprising the NIH has a reputation of being the leading health research institute in the world. To date, 174 scientists , either at NIH or whose research is supported by NIH funds, have been the sole or shared recipients of 104 Nobel Prizes. As nurses, we are deeply concerned about the future of drug development and the progress toward cures for critical diseases like cancer and Alzheimer ’ s. The looming confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) raises serious alarms. Unless four brave Republican senators join all Democrats in voting “ no, ” his confirmation could jeopardize advancements in medical science and public health.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed numerous and questionable ideas to revamp the HHS, but one proposal he is especially eager to implement should raise serious concerns for everyone. Kennedy would instantly replace 600 employees at the National Institutes of Health, most likely with personnel who are more aligned with his values and beliefs. Warning: RFK Jr. is a well-known science denier. Kennedy even told an anti-vaccine group, “ I ’ m gonna say to NIH scientists, ‘ God bless you all. Thank you for your public service. We ’ re going to give infectious disease a break for about eight years. ” Unfortunately, communicable diseases are not taking a break from us, as fears about an avian flu pandemic grow. RFK is an anti-vaccine activist, campaigning with his own nonprofit group, the Children ’ s Health Defense , to promote conspiracy-based views rather than science-backed evidence. As HHS secretary, Kennedy could use his position to weaken school vaccination requirements by increasing exemptions, leaving decision-making to the states. Trump even vowed on the campaign trail to defund schools that mandate vaccines . Despite his unfounded beliefs, Kennedy is out of step with the majority of Americans who know that vaccination is a crucial tool in controlling the spread of a virus and protecting public health. The Pew Research Center found in 2023 that 88% of Americans say the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) outweigh the risks, compared with just 10% who say the risks outweigh the benefits. Despite widespread support for vaccines, we, as nurses, are certain that Kennedy would likely use the platform of HHS secretary to erode public confidence in vaccination. We ’ ve seen the effect of misinformation before, most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic. When someone in authority spreads inaccurate information, especially to parents seeking reliable guidance to make critical health care decisions for their children, it shatters public trust and confidence.
Kennedy continues to claim that vaccines cause autism, despite numerous studies disproving the original flawed research that suggested a connection. President-elect Trump said he plans to discuss ending vaccination programs with RFK Jr. Vaccine misinformation is not just talk, it is dangerous, leading to preventable suffering and loss of life. We must act now to prevent a public health catastrophe under RFK Jr ’ s leadership. Contact U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King today and tell them to vote “ no ” to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as HHS secretary
Donna A. Gaffney is a psychotherapist and author of “Courageous Well-Being for Nurses: Strategies for Renewal.” Teri Mills is a retired adult nurse and former president of the National Nursing Network Organization.
examining harris and trump a disparity in media representation
by Mary Christine (Christy) Jared, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC
Over the last few months, I have watched with increasing dismay and disappointment how well-known and respected news organizations feature Donald Trump on their sites much more prominently and much more favorably than Kamala Harris. Over the last two to three weeks, this problem – this gaslighting – has surged to extremes beyond what I thought was possible. This has been quite dismaying for a number of reasons.
First, to place Trump and his lies, his cruelty and his xenophobic ways of being in such a flattering light is an obvious and tremendous threat to our democracy. He routinely calls for the killing of his enemies; terms others as animalsand verminand states he wants to destroy the administrative state, force out federal civil servants, and replace them with those who will do his bidding – those who are loyal to only him. This is not how democracy survives. The media must stop treating Trump’s lies as normal; it has an obligation to reveal and highlight repeatedly the depth of these lies, and clearly explain the ramifications of this outright propaganda.
Second, this practice of placing his activities and those of his cronies – Musk, Carlson, Bannon, and the like in the most prominent spaces in news articles – is to promote what he utters, and position what he supports as more important, more newsworthy and more credible than what Kamala Harris is endorsing, supporting and promulgating through her campaign. It continually validates and elevates Trump’s choices, Trump’s goals, and Trump’s aspirations.
Third, when Harris is featured, there is almost always some component of negativity or doubt in the headline, and there is often a photo of her that is unflattering. News organizations understand deeply the impact of these types of subliminal (or maybe not so subliminal) tactics. I do not understand how those in the media, who bill themselves as just reporting the news “as it happens”, can live with themselves as they blatantly foster this double standard in the race for President of the United States. Harris, it appears, must be challenged on almost all aspects of what she claims, states, and does; and how she looks, speaks, and laughs. The fact that she wants to bring people together; to reach across the aisle; to harken back to the days of respect for others and their views; and to lead a country toward unity instead of destruction (a la Trump and his followers) gets a mere shrug in most daily newsrooms.
We are faced with the imminent threat of fascism from the Trump campaign. Much of what Trump says and does is a travesty and is terrifying for those of us who have been enculturated to believe that everyone deserves a chance, everyone should have a voice, and everyone should be able to work hard and reap the benefits of living in a rich country with abundant promise such as that of the United States.
These problems have accelerated over the last 10 years. I often ask myself how did we get to this state? Is it a combination of smart-phone addiction, reliance on social media for many aspects of how we live our lives, or the multiple ways that our connections to other human beings were severed or harmed during the COVID-19 pandemic? Is it a combination of factors that have led some to view human beings with different identities and beliefs that may be out of the mainstream acceptability, not as similar to all of us, but as “other”? Have we normalized rejecting individuals who may be outside of a narrow circle of what some deem as having the right or the appropriate attributes to live and thrive in our country, and across the globe?
As a professor of Nursing, I teach my students to be kind, to listen, to open their hearts, to serve and to take their duties to others and their profession seriously. This is a way of thinking and acting that mandates a tremendous amount of knowledge, skill, diligence, and compassion to better others’ lives and to make this a more welcoming world. In Trump’s universe, how does that way of being exist? Or is this abundant promise of America reserved only for him and his followers?
Mary Christine (Christy) Jared, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC is a dynamic, goal-driven, and accomplished nursing professional with 32+ years of experience and success in clinical, education, research, and administrative roles in urban healthcare settings. She is a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and has previously taught undergraduate maternity and psychiatric-mental health nursing at NYU and Long Island University. She is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing in New York City.
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by Lucia Osler BSN, RN
I love my job. Every day, I work with teenagers to help them cope in a stressful and uncertain world. At the end of the day, my goal is to empower them to take care of their mental health, to form healthy relationships and look hopefully towards the future. It’s not easy in 2024.
Because kids are struggling right now. In the aftermath of Covid-19 they lost vital years of socialization through online learning. And the rise of addictive social media algorithms have damaged attention spans and led to a rash of cyber-bullying.
Today’s teens face unprecedented challenges. And for no group is this truer than members of the transgender community. I regularly work with these kids, they have to overcome discrimination in their schools, discrimination in their homes, and if Donald Trump and the GOP win, they’ll face tremendous discrimination in their country.
Medical organizations agree unanimously that gender-affirming care is necessary for the mental health and well-being of trans kids. (This includes the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.) These kids and teenagers need professional support and access to healthcare, not conversion therapy and “pray the gay away” programs, as advocated by many Republicans.
Because we have to be clear about what Project 2025 intends for them: more discrimination and fewer protections under a decimated Title IX. Kids legally forced into the wrong bathrooms, teachers forced to use names and pronouns that will harm children’s mental health and distract them from learning. Republicans could even go as far as to ban gender-affirming care for trans kids nation-wide, as they’ve already done in red states like Florida, Ohio and Utah. Republican politicians want to force every trans kid in America to undergo a puberty that will permanently alter their bodies in painful, irreversible ways. Against the advice of psychiatrists, therapists, nurses and other experts; against the wishes of supportive parents, the government would be weaponized against these kids. We must not mince words, Donald Trump and the GOP would enable child abuse across America.
I am the daughter of two nurses. Like them, I took the Nightingale Pledge when I graduated, pledging “to abstain from whatever is harmful”. And Project 2025 is beyond harmful. It will ruin the lives of people you care about, it will hurt the patients I care for. It will jeopardize the mental health and safety of innocent kids across America.
The life and health of a child is a fragile and precious thing, it should be handled by families and, where necessary, competent medical staff. It should not be handled by religious extremists who equate the existence of queer people with pornography. It’s up to all of us to make our voices heard in November. Together, we can prevent child abuse, and protect trans kids.
Lucia Osler BSN, RN is an adolescent psych nurse in the Denver metro area. She is also an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and a volunteer supporting Democrats up and down the ballot as part of Nurses for America.
Mental Health Matters: How Project 2025 Would Harm Kids and Teenagers
by Lucia Osler BSN, RN
I love my job. Every day, I work with teenagers to help them cope in a stressful and uncertain world. At the end of the day, my goal is to empower them to take care of their mental health, to form healthy relationships and look hopefully towards the future. It’s not easy in 2024.
Because kids are struggling right now. In the aftermath of Covid-19 they lost vital years of socialization through online learning. And the rise of addictive social media algorithms have damaged attention spans and led to a rash of cyber-bullying.
Today’s teens face unprecedented challenges. And for no group is this truer than members of the transgender community. I regularly work with these kids, they have to overcome discrimination in their schools, discrimination in their homes, and if Donald Trump and the GOP win, they’ll face tremendous discrimination in their country.
Medical organizations agree unanimously that gender-affirming care is necessary for the mental health and well-being of trans kids. (This includes the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.) These kids and teenagers need professional support and access to healthcare, not conversion therapy and “pray the gay away” programs, as advocated by many Republicans.
Because we have to be clear about what Project 2025 intends for them: more discrimination and fewer protections under a decimated Title IX. Kids legally forced into the wrong bathrooms, teachers forced to use names and pronouns that will harm children’s mental health and distract them from learning. Republicans could even go as far as to ban gender-affirming care for trans kids nation-wide, as they’ve already done in red states like Florida, Ohio and Utah. Republican politicians want to force every trans kid in America to undergo a puberty that will permanently alter their bodies in painful, irreversible ways. Against the advice of psychiatrists, therapists, nurses and other experts; against the wishes of supportive parents, the government would be weaponized against these kids. We must not mince words, Donald Trump and the GOP would enable child abuse across America.
I am the daughter of two nurses. Like them, I took the Nightingale Pledge when I graduated, pledging “to abstain from whatever is harmful”. And Project 2025 is beyond harmful. It will ruin the lives of people you care about, it will hurt the patients I care for. It will jeopardize the mental health and safety of innocent kids across America.
The life and health of a child is a fragile and precious thing, it should be handled by families and, where necessary, competent medical staff. It should not be handled by religious extremists who equate the existence of queer people with pornography. It’s up to all of us to make our voices heard in November. Together, we can prevent child abuse, and protect trans kids.
Lucia Osler BSN, RN is an adolescent psych nurse in the Denver metro area. She is also an advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights and a volunteer supporting Democrats up and down the ballot as part of Nurses for America.
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From War to Warning – Nurses Sound the Alarm
by Donna A. Gaffney and Teri Mills, two seasoned healthcare professionals with extensive experience in nursing and advocacy, have penned this critical OpEd to shed light on the alarming vulnerabilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic within the U.S. healthcare system. Their unique perspectives provide a powerful lens through which to examine the pandemic’s impact on frontline workers. The authors chose this topic to highlight the stark contrast between the urgent needs of American healthcare providers and the reported diversion of crucial resources by the former U.S. President to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Their goal is to spark a meaningful dialogue about the need for transparent, responsible leadership in healthcare policy and to ensure that the hard-learned lessons of the pandemic lead to concrete improvements in how we support and equip those on the frontlines of future health crises.
Healthcare providers rely on state-of-the-art, up-to-date equipment to perform their jobs as it often plays a crucial role in determining a patient’s plan of care and making life or death decisions.
The first months of 2020 were particularly challenging for nurses who were working with an unknown entity, a deadly coronavirus soon to be known as COVID-19. Thanks to the U.S. scientific community, there would soon be a test to diagnose the presence of the virus.
Imagine working as a nurse in a hospital, thinking the lab was able to perform COVID testing, only to find out the device to do this was not available. With the release of Bob Woodward’s book WAR—perhaps better titled WAR-NING—we learned why. Woodward revealed Vladimir Putin had several point-of-care COVID-19 testing machines at his disposal. A secret gift from the former President who abandoned his duty to protect the American people.
Let’s be clear, these point-of-care machines cost thousands of US dollars each with a $50 test kit per patient. The first-generation Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 testing equipment was approved for emergency use by the FDA on March 27, 2020. In 13 minutes or less, SARS-CoV-2 can be detected from nasal or throat swabs. It was a game-changer.
Even though Woodward mainly focuses on the backstory of the Ukraine-Russia war and Middle East turmoil, we cannot dismiss the fact that nurses and physicians serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic were fighting their own battle on American soil. This was under the leadership of former President Trump, also the Commander in Chief, who chose to betray our entire healthcare workforce, their safety disregarded as vital equipment was handed over to a foreign adversary. Meanwhile, to the American people, he repeated over 38 times: “ It [COVID-19] will disappear.” Misinformation, disinformation and lies. As a result, we all suffered.
During the past four years, the stories and commitment of our nurses have been chronicled in Courageous Well-Being for Nurses, as well as other books and articles. Despite their best efforts, 440,044 healthcare workers were reported to have had the virus, resulting in 1,469 deaths. Just like troops returning from the battlefield who have witnessed injury and death, nurses have also experienced lingering anxiety, PTSD, and moral distress. Even with one-on-one counseling and participation in support groups, 100,000 nurses left their careers during the pandemic, contributing to the nursing shortage.
We have to treat War as a warning.
Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Ashish Jha have warned us that we could face another pandemic. The mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2018, long before the virus reached the U.S. Decisions were already being made that set the stage for the crisis. Trump terminated the National Security Council (NSC). The NSC was set up to be the “smoke alarm” to get ahead of an emergency like COVID-19. Trump’s actions left healthcare providers destined for failure. Frontline nurses and physicians were left desperately needing personal protective equipment (PPE) that simply wasn’t there. Hospitals did not have a chance to secure ventilators that may have saved patients’ lives. Besides Trump famously telling Americans to drink bleach and take horse medicine, he boasted to the nation, “It’s one person coming in from China. It’s going to be just fine.” However, by the time Trump left office, there were 25 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, over 400,000 of which resulted in death.
One thing is undeniable: if Trump is re-elected, he will dismantle all the progress the Biden-Harris administration has achieved in preparing us for the next healthcare crisis.
We cannot allow a catastrophe like the COVID-19 pandemic to happen again. If there’s ever been a reason to ensure Trump never returns to office, this is it.
We need nurses, but first we need to ask: What do nurses need? October 5, 2024
by Pat Ford-Roegner,
US presidential race presents a stark choice on future of nursing care
The US Surgeon General’s 2022 Advisory Committee listed concrete steps to keep nurses in the workforce, such as providing rest breaks and evaluating workloads and working hours.
The Biden-Harris administration increased nursing education funding and sought to eliminate onerous student loans. Vice President Kamala Harris said she hopes to do more as president, if elected, to address working conditions so that nurses don’t leave their profession after a few years.
In contrast, the Project 2025 transition plan would eliminate the vital Title VIII funding for educating more nurses, which would jeopardize our future nursing workforce.
We need to support schools of nursing that are educating students for life and forming partnerships with their counterparts in the health care system and hear suggestions from their alumni for remodeling the workplace, keeping nurses on the job delivering vital community health services. Time is of the essence.
Pat Ford-Roegner, Nurses for America Core member
No more ageist slurs against President Biden-Sherry Pomeroy
Buffalo News July 8, 2024
Letter: No more ageist slurs against President Biden
Jul 8, 2024
Feeble octogenarian," "shuffling," "hospice patient lost on their way to the bathroom," are just a few of the recent escalating ageist and biased remarks about President Biden, who has dedicated 60 years to public service not to personal gain. Would you use these adjectives to describe your parents, grandparents, or a teacher or colleague?
As a career gerontological nurse specialist and an older person myself, I am both dismayed and insulted by the ageist rhetoric dominating the current public discourse across a variety of media. The Gerontological Society of America has made significant efforts to cultivate awareness of implicit bias toward older people and to influence policies and programs that benefit all of us as we age. The Reframing Aging Initiative provides evidence-based guidelines for communicating about older people and aging across all communication platforms. A place to begin is to use neutral terms such as "older people," "older adults" or "older Americans," not elderly or seniors, and certainly not frail or feeble, or similar "other-ing" terms that stoke stereotypes.
Older people are a backbone in our communities, contributing abilities and knowledge as engaged professionals, family caregivers, grandparents raising grandchildren, and serving as volunteers in every imaginable corner of our communities. Aging generates experiences that inform decision making, expand networks, and deepen relationships and judgment. Let's insist that across all communication plafforms we set our biases aside to reframe and reinforce older people as capable of meaningful responsibilities and relationships, and whose judgment reflects those to make this a reality.
Sherry Pomeroy
Orchard Park
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April 24, 2024 Reproductive Rights are on the Ballot this Year
by Erin Hartnett, DNP, PPCNP-BC, FAAN
Get it in The Nursing Beat . 4.24.2024
In June 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that ruled abortion a constitutional right in the United States. As a result, reproductive rights will be one of the most contentious issues on the 2024 ballot in state and federal elections. For the first time in generations, both the right and access to reproductive healthcare are in jeopardy. This includes contraception, IVF, emergency care during miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy, and abortion. As nurses, we need to understand the history of current issues and vote to protect the health and well-being of our patients. Read more
Feb 29, 2024 “You Had the Power All Along My Dear"
Nurses you know how to care, but do you care enough to vote?
Get it in The Nursing Beat . 2.29.24
There are over five million nurses in the United States! It is essential that we use our enormous opportunity, potential, and power to make a difference by standing with our patients and voting for health. If the Covid pandemic taught us anything – it was that those in power determine what we have for ourselves and our patients......