Senator Hillary Clinton wants to know "What would you have us do?"

Nurses General Nursing

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Please answer Senator Hillary Clinton. In the Senate Hearings on the Nursing Shortage 5/17/01 she posed the question, "What would you have us do?", let's all answer it.

I urge everyone to watch the video clip of this Senate Hearing. You can reach it through this link, then click on the orange "View HealthCast" button.

SenateHearing

If you don't have time to watch the whole thing (it's about two hours) you can fast forward the video to 1:31:30 to listen to Senator Clinton. She reads a letter from an LPN in a LTC facility "doing the work of 2 nurses", it is very poignant. Then she asks, "If you could have us (legislators) do anything....what would you have us do?" I think it is imperative that we answer her. I think we should flood Senator Clintons e-mail with answers to her question from all over the United States. Let her know what you want them to do. Be it better reimbursement to hospitals, better staffing ratios, better wages, no MOT, all of it.

She continues the discussion with Michael Elsas who represents paraprofessionals, the nurse aides, who is very articulate about our need to "change how we value the work". He is speaking about the work the aides he represents do, but clearly every level of health care worker is undervalued from the residents down to the aides. Senator Clinton then states, "how we value things in this society has something to do with how much we are willing to pay for them...I don't want you to be shy about that".

You can contact her via e-mail at this site. And please don't be "SHY" about it!

SenatorHillaryClinton

[ May 23, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

Specializes in LDRP; Education.
Originally posted by nurs4kids:

Perhaps we could send our lists of things we would have her do and accompany it with a box of cigars??

Oohh sister, you are bad!

-but funny-

:D

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OK guys you've vented. And we all had a good chuckle. Now do something constuctive for yourself and your fellow nurses.

kewlnurse: If you are disatified with the job that Senator Clinton is doing for you, all the more reason you should write her. Isn't that what they do at your workplace? Tell her in your opinion she needs some "performance improvement" and back it up with "documentation". Remember each state has two senators. If Senator Clinton is to repulsive to you to write, try Senator Shumer. Here is a link:

SenatorShumer

nurse4kids: I enjoy your sense of humor. Point is make the list, send it with or without the cigars. I see you're from Alabama. When you finish your list here is a quick and easy link to send it to your Senators Shelby and Sessions

SenatorShelby

SenatorSessions

SusyK: Is that with or without clothing? :D

I agree you'd probably get lots of attention but change? I doubt it. Maybe a few days in mental health for a change, depending on your health insurance! ;)

But seriously Susy, have you tried writing?

You are from Wisconsin. Your Senators are Feingold and Kohl. I visited both of their sites.

Senator Feingold's homepage has thoughts about China, Africa, Social Security, the death penalty and gas prices. Not one mention about the "Nursing Crisis". What is wrong here. I'll tell you what is wrong, nurses are not speaking out. I challenge you and all the nurses of Wisconsin to get Senator Feingold to put nursing issues in a prominant place on his home page. And the way you do that is WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! THE SQUEEKY WHEEL GETS THE GREESE.

Your other Senator, Senator Kohl lists under his FAQ's: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Bill 602P ( Puleez!)

and Tax Cuts

For chrissake an internet hoax (Bill 602P or c whichever) is more important than the "nursing crisis".

Do people in Wisconsin care about their nurses? You wouldn't know it by visiting their Senators web-sites.

Here is a link:SenatorFeingold

SenatorKohl

[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

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Originally posted by PeggyOhio:

OK guys you've vented. And we all had a good chuckle. Now do something constuctive for yourself and your fellow nurses.

kewlnurse: If you are disatified with the job that Senator Clinton is doing for you, all the more reason you should write her. Isn't that what they do at your workplace? Tell her in your opinion she needs some "performance improvement" and back it up with "documentation". Remember each state has two senators. If Senator Clinton is to repulsive to you to write, try Senator Shumer

Here is a link:SenatorFeingold

[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

I wasn't venting OR looking for a Chuckle. Schumer is a Big a SCUMBAG as the Demonwench. I have emailed them many times asking them to get out of office before they not only ruin our state but will do ireprable damage to the entire country. Neither one is willing or capable to help anybody but themselves.

:mad:

[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: kewlnurse ]

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

PeggyOhio:

You have impressed me (no sarcasm intended) with your research and poignant thoughts. I actually thought after I posted that, that I should have stood on the rooftop naked - however, I might scare alot of people.

I will consider writing - I have written to newspapers several times over - I may consider going to my local government as a result of you. :)

As an aside, our gas prices are INSANE - definitely worth some attention. We are up to about $1.89/gallon! :eek:

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kewlnurse:

The chuckle was for nurse4kids and SusyK.

Your anger is loud and clear. I wish we could put it to some constructive use.

I'm not a Hillary fan either, but I don't have such intense dislike for her that I won't use her for my purposes. As I said before like it or not, she is your employee.

And as -jt said above, "like it or not, they will be the ones passing the laws we have to live with".

Can you fill us in on anything specifically that she has done that leads you to believe she cannot advocate for nurses in the Senate?

If so we could start a write in campaign to let her know we are disappointed in what she is or is not doing.

I see you're from Buffalo. Were you there when she visited. Did you hear the comments she made about the Buffalo nurses in the first Senate Committee Hearing on 2/13/01. You can video stream it from this link, she makes her comments about 17 min into the hearing you can fast forward to it. She was very eloquent. Click on the orange "ViewHealthCast" button.

SenateHearing2/13

Speaking of disappointed I visited my own Senator's websites DeWine and Voinovich. Neither had anything on their homepages about the nursing shortage. Voinovich's e-mail "What is your comment about" has Elian Gonzalez listed for chrisake!

That is why we must flood their e-boxes. Wake 'em up!

But Congrats to Minnesota Senator Wellstone great nursing picture on his homepage!

:D NursesPhoto

[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

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Peggy,

Interesting hearing! Thanks for the link and I've emailed my senator, Hillary Clinton.

(I'm not into Hillary bashing and I'll give her a chance to prove her stuff. Call me dumb, but did not get the cigar joke. What did she have to do with Bill's wayward cigar? Is it a scorned wife joke because she didn't bake cookies? Also, what exactly was she supposed to be doing for us in 8 years as an unelected person living in a white house?)

[ May 24, 2001: Message edited by: natalie ]

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Hey jt,

Thinking about you today in Albany. Give us all the details!

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Specializes in psych/mental health.

Hey Cargal! Thought you'd like to know this: I just got an email about Senator Mary Jo White's proposed legislation banning mandatory OT in PA and your Senator Kukovich has signed on as a co-sponsor! She is continuing to look for co-sponsors before the bill is formally presented: all you PA nurses out there contact your senators and urge them to support Sen. White.

"We do not see things as they are, we see things as we are."

Anais Nin

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I feel the same way but she got eleected & we're stuck with her so we have to put her to work. And then evaluate how she does for when the next vote comes around.

hey Natalie...... it wasnt in Albany. It was right here in our community. I got invited because I stopped by his office during the March Nurse Lobby Day in Albany & left him our legislative packet detailing the agenda to solve the nursing shortage here. Good thing too! If I hadnt done that, the only people at that discussion would have been 3 hospital administrators and a nursing educator. Giving the Assemblyman their ideas on why there is a shortage of nurses in hospitals & LTC & how to fix it. Other than me, No direct-care nurses were involved in the discussion. I called the co-chair of a nearby NYSNA hospital & told her to send an RN over. She sent 2 from her negotiating committee (from the same hospital the 2 administrators came from). It was a very productive day. TTYL - gotta pick up my kids.

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Hey Psychnrs,

That is good news about Senator Kukovich signing on with Mary Jo White. When did that happen. I have written him about her, now I will make sure that I go talk to him in person. Sounds like some positive things are happening! Keep up the great work nurses!

Carrie

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