Congressman David Wu (OR) To Co-Sponsor HR 4903

(Pictured: Congressman David Wu)

Although the Thomas website is slow in updating the latest list of co-sponsors to HR 4903, the National Nurse Act of 2006, the National Nurse Team is pleased to announce that Congressman David Wu from Oregon is signing on to the bill. Two members of the Team met with Congressman Wu's staff last summer. The Team wishes to thank Congressman Wu and his staff for positively acknowledging the importance of the critical role nurses play in our nation's health care system.

Here is Congressman Wu's statement:

"Currently there are at least 100,000 vacant nursing positions in long-term care facilities and, predictions are that over the next 20 years our nation will be short as many as 400,000 nurses if nothing is done to change current trends. Clearly, we must do all we can to encourage individuals to enter the nursing profession," stated Congressman David Wu. "H.R. 4903, the National Nurse Act of 2006, would provide a good start to addressing the nursing shortage by coordinating education and community outreach efforts on a national level."

Statement From Representative Peter DeFazio (OR)

(Pictured: Representative Peter DeFazio)

On behalf of the National Nurse Campaign, we thank Representative Peter DeFazio from Oregon for joining the growing list of co-sponsors to HR 4903, The National Nurse Act of 2006.

Here is Congressman DeFazio's statement:

It is long overdue that the U.S. have a national nurse to stand alongside the surgeon general. Nurses have long played an essential role in America's health care system. A national nurse is someone who can help spread the word about health services, who can provide preventive health advice, and who can encourage others to get involved in the profession of nursing.

Illinois Nurse Sends Us This Tip For Wellness

(Pictured: Anne Nowlin)
BLOOD PRESSURE GUIDELINES recommend keeping blood pressure at or below 120/80. The amount of salt in our diets affects our blood pressure. The more salt we eat, the higher our blood pressure and the greater our risk for heart disease, leading to stroke and heart attacks. One way to keep blood pressure at or below 120/80 is by limiting salt intake; fast food, prepackaged foods and decreasing the amount of table salt in our diets.


Anne Nowlin BSN, RN, Illinois

Citations:

Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure
(JNC 7), NIH publication 04-5230, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Chobanin et al, The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, 42 (6): 1206 (2003)

Learn More About HR 4903-The National Nurse Act of 2006

The What Is Next Speaker Series at Mt Wachusett Community College located in Gardner, Massachusetts continues Friday, March 31 with the appearance of two advocates for an Office of the National Nurse. Starting at 10 a.m. in the Fine Arts Theater, nurses Teri Mills and Alisa Schneider will make their case for the creation of this new position in the federal government. The free event is co-sponsored by MWCC, the Molly Bish Institute for Child Health and Safety and the Deans of Health Programs in Massachusetts Community Colleges. For more information, or to register, contact Gayle Jaillet at (978) 630-9265 or gjaillet@mwcc.mass.edu.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness

(Pictured: Victoria Hawkins DrPh, RN)
Every year nearly one million people in the US develop deep vein thrombosis or DVT (blood clot in a vein) and almost one-third of these cases end in death from complications. (1)

Conditions that can put you at risk for DVT include long-distance air travel, hospitalization for 72 hours or more, pneumonia, advanced age, obesity, varicose veins, hormone therapy, and cancer, as well as a history of previous DVT, stroke, heart failure, emphysema, or inherited conditions that predispose to clots.

The good news is that DVT is preventable. For more information visit Prevent DVT .

(1) Heit JA, Cohen AT. Anderson FA et al on behalf of the VTE Impact Assessment Group. Estimated annual number of incident and recurrent, non-fatal and fatal venous thromboembolism (VTE) events in the US. Poster 68 presented at: American Society of Hematology, 47th Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, December 10-13, 2005.

Submitted by:
Victoria Hawkins, DrPH, RN
Practice Outcomes Nurse Specialist
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Thank You Representative Dale Kildee (MI)

(Pictured: Representative Dale Kildee (MI)

The Honorable Dale Kildee, representing the 5th Congressional District of Michigan, was one of the first to sign on as a co-sponsor of HR 4903, the National Nurse Act of 2006.

Representative Kildee states, "Nurses are vital to providing and maintaining high quality, affordable health care. Increasingly, nurses are the first health care professional patients will see, often providing direct care, explaining diagnoses, preventive measures and treatment methods. An Office of the National Nurse will be a strong, visible advocate for national health priorities and will emphasize the need to recruit and retain nurses to meet the growing demand for care."

The National Nurse Team extends their gratitude to Representative Kildee and his staff for their support.

Writing Your U.S. Representatives

Through the help of a supporter in Woodburn, Oregon and another in Arizona, the National Nurse Team now has images that you can upload on your computer to make postcards that you can mail to your Representative. These can be ordered through Vista Print for a reasonable price.

If you would like to receive the PDF image files for these postcards, please email teri@nationalnurse.info. Don't have a computer, but would be interested in having some postcards mailed to you, let us know.

The Representatives need to hear from the people and hearing from a group of their own constituents is both powerful and convincing.