Come join the MILLENNIUM NURSES MARCH Saturday, May 5th, 2001 10AM Philadelphia,PA

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Delaware County Nurses Association

District 23/ Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA)

P.O. Box 1227, Media PA 19063

Phone: [phone]

PRESS RELEASE:

For further information contact: Claire McGuire RN 610-353-1495

Delaware County Nurses Association Inc., in conjunction with the nurses

of District 1 (Philadelphia) Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA) is sponsoring a MILLENNIUM NURSES MARCH on Saturday, May 5th, 2001. Our goal is a grassroots effort to bring attention to the nursing shortage and how it impacts on patient and consumer safety.

Featured speakers are Christina Terranova RN, LNC, Chairperson of the Florence Project,Inc. a patient/nursing advocacy organization, who will discuss workplace advocacy and ways to improve nursing retention; Claire McGuire RN,C Psychiatric Clinician, discussing methods to prevent workplace violence; and Lieb Zalon PhD, RN, CS, President of PSNA who will present solutions to the nursing shortage.

The event will begin at 10 AM from City Hall courtyard. Participants will march about 1 1/2 miles east on Market Street to rally at 11 AM at the Independence National Visitors Center Park, Third and Chestnut St, near the Liberty Bell.

Nurses from throughout the tri-state area are joining forces to bring attention to the severity of the nursing shortage and how it impacts on quality of patient care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration 2000 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses released February 14, 2001 found that the nations RN's continue to grow older, with average age of 45 years.

In 2000, the average age of a graduate nurse was 30.5 years compared to 23.4 years in 1986. The rate of nurses entering the profession has slowed over the past four years with only 137,666 nurses graduating since 1996. There is an estimated 2.6 million active, licensed RN's in the United states and fifty percent of those RN's will retire in the next 10 to 15 years, that is 1.3 million nurses, leaving a huge shortage of professional caregivers.

"We find it imperative to encourage young men and women to consider our profession as a career" states Claire McGuire RN, president of the Delaware County Nurses Association. "It is important for health care facilities to not only attract new nurses to their facility, but also provide incentives to retain their expert nurses of long standing." Information on entering the profession will be available at the rally.

:)

[Chellyse]

Karen,

If I could be there I would. I will be with you in Spirit!!

So for all of you nurses in the tri state area of Pennsylvania, Deleware, and Maryland Join these outspoken brave nurses and march to the Liberty Bell to show your support!!!

[natalie]

And GO Pennsylvania!!! Hope you have a great turn-out.

Karen, is this open to all nurses, regardless of affiliation or not, to any unions?

[StaceRacer1]

Thanks to the nursing shortage, I will be working tomorrow. We always have to work a 12 hour shift on the weekend, because we only have 8 full time nurses on our staff. Our census is only 19 patients!!!! You do the math.

I will also be with you in SPIRIT!!

After all, tomorrow is the start of Nurses week!!!! What a great start!!!!!!!!!!

:)

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Hi Natalie and Colleagues:

This rally is open to any and all nursing supporters: RN, LPN, CNA, RT, PT, OT, ST, RD, citizens, people wanting to learn about the nursing profession.

Several individual members of nursing unions will be marching with us PASNAP,1199P/SEIU and I will be joining them in Harrisburg on Monday as we meet with our legislators to address the shortage issue.

Press is coming: Phila Inquirer, KYW Radia + TV, Fox TV..... Florence Nightengale A.K.A.

Catherine Synder President of the Florence Project is joiing us too...have buttons, hand lotion, bandaids, balloons plus info on PA state Board position on Mandatory overtime(IS NOT ABANDOMENT), workplace violence prevention, PA Proposed legislation, , How to get politically involved, and Revolution article: Engineering a Crisis: How hospitals created a shortage of nurses.

Plus Baloons!!!!

Time for Bed.

I'll let you know how it went.

Karen