A Call to Action from the Nation's Nurses in the Wake of Newtown

Published

  1. Nurses: Do You Support a Call to Action in the Wake of Newtown + other shootings

    • 54
      I support need for improved mental health services for individuals and families
    • 7
      I do not support need for improved mental health services for individuals and families.
    • 3
      Unsure if improved mental health services for individuals and families.needed
    • 43
      I support increased student access elementary thru college to nurses and mental health professionals.
    • 7
      I do not support increased student access elementary thru college to nurses and mental health professionals.
    • 7
      Unsure of need for increased student access elementary thru college to nurses and mental health professionals
    • 28
      I support a ban on assault weapons and enacting other meaningful gun control reforms to protect society.
    • 34
      I do not support an assault weapons ban and enacting other meaningful gun control reforms to protect society.
    • 4
      Unsure of position on assault weapons ban and enacting other meaningful gun control reforms.
    • 28
      I support an armed police presence at schools.
    • 19
      I do not support an armed police presence at schools.
    • 14
      Unsure of position on an armed police presence at schools.
    • 33
      I support our Nursing Associations commitment to ending this cycle of preventable violence, death, and trauma
    • 16
      I do not support our Nursing Associations commitment to ending this cycle of preventable violence, death, and trauma.
    • 6
      Unsure of supporting our Nursing Associations commitment to ending this cycle of preventable violence, death, and trauma.

54 members have participated

Reposting from PSNA Communications email. Karen

A Call to Action from the Nation's Nurses in the Wake of Newtown

More Than 30 Nursing Organizations Call for Action in Wake of Newtown Tragedy

(12/20/12)

Like the rest of the nation, America's nurses are heartbroken as we grieve the unthinkable loss and profound tragedy that unfolded last week in Newtown, Connecticut. This horrific event is a tipping point and serves as a call to action. The nation's nurses demand that political and community leaders across this country address longstanding societal needs to help curb this endless cycle of senseless violence.

Our country has witnessed unspeakable acts of mass shootings. The common thread in each of these tragedies has been the lethal combination of easy access to guns and inadequate access to mental health services.

As the largest single group of clinical health care professionals, registered nurses witness firsthand the devastation from the injuries sustained from gun violence. We also witness the trauma of individuals, families, and communities impacted by violence.

The care and nurturing of children in their earliest years provides a strong foundation for healthy growth and development as they mature into adulthood. Children, parents, and society face growing challenges with respect to widespread bullying and mental illness, and nurses understand the value of early intervention. Over the past decade, ill-advised and shortsighted cutbacks within schools and community health care systems have seriously impeded critical and needed access to school nurses and mental health professionals trained to recognize and intervene early with those who are at risk for violent behavior.

The public mental health system has sustained a period of devastating cuts over time. These cuts have been exacerbated during the Great Recession despite an increase in the demand for services for all populations, including our nation's veterans. States have cut vital services, such as community and hospital-based psychiatric care, housing, and access to medications. Looming budget cuts could lead to further cuts in services.

It is time to take action. The nation's nurses call on President Obama, Congress, and policymakers at the state and local level to take swift action to address factors that together will help prevent more senseless acts of violence. We call on policymakers to:

  • Restore access to mental health services for individuals and families
  • Increase students' access to nurses and mental health professionals from the elementary school level through college
  • Ban assault weapons and enact other meaningful gun control reforms to protect society

The nation's nurses raise our collective voice to advocate on behalf of all of those who need our care. As a nation, we must commit to ending this cycle of preventable violence, death, and trauma. We must turn our grief into action.

Alabama State Nurses Association

American Academy of Nursing

American Nurses Association

American Psychiatric Nurses Association

ANA-Illinois

ANA-New York

ANA-Michigan/RN-AIM

Arizona Nurses Association

Arkansas Nurses Association

Association of Nurses in AIDS Care

Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses

Colorado Nurses Association

Connecticut Nurses' Association

Delaware Nurses Association

Infusion Nurses Society

Louisiana State Nurses Association

Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses

Minnesota Organization of Registered Nurses

Missouri Nurses Association

Montana Nurses Association

National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists

National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses

National Association of School Nurses

National League for Nursing

New Hampshire Nurses' Association

New Jersey State Nurses Association

New Mexico Nurses Association

Nurses Organization of Veterans Affairs

Ohio Nurses Association

Oklahoma Nurses Association

Pennsylvania State Nurses Association

Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association

Rhode Island State Nurses Association

Virginia Nurses Association

Washington State Nurses Association

Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society

Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

Our health industry decided years ago that there was no value in funding mental health care...

We essentially de-funded community programs in the early 80s.

Insurance companies are not interested in providing the type of comprehensive coverage that is necessary if we are going to minimize the danger that some of these citizens can represent when untreated.

What I do know is this, taking my gun will not make it difficult or impossible for the crazy guy to steal his grandpa's gun and kill people.

Identifying the crazy guy and providing him with reasonable mental health care makes it less likely that he will harm someone.

Sorry for the insensitive use of the term "crazy"...

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Specializes in Hospice, LTC, Behavioral Psych.

First of all, I don't agree that the NRA isn't protecting the 2nd amendment, but even if that were true why are you assuming that an organization protecting "GUN MANUFACTURERS" is so horrible? We have unions that protect automobile manufacturing industry workers, government bailouts to the Auto and other industries, yet have you seen the data on automobile related deaths, vehicular homocide. drunk driving? You don't have to be mentally ill to kill someone behind the wheel, either. It seems odd to me that villianizing manufacturing is your answer to these mass shootings. If the shooter had a couple rifles or handguns, do you think the outcome would have been different?

So then shall we ban ALL guns? Or just the high capacity ones? It seems to me that even 1 handgun in the hands of a these school shooters would have a devistating impact. Where does it end?

Shall we ban alcohol again? There is plenty of data that links alcohol use to domesting violence, assault, rape, murder. Banning a thing because, in your enlightened view, it's something "AVERAGE, civilians don't need access to" does NOTHING to address the real issue. That if someone wants to kill a person or a group of people, he will not need to do it with a gun, and if he wants to, he will secure one (or more) REGARDLESS if bans are present or not. Furthermore, he doesn't need to have automatic or semi-automatic guns to terrorize a community.

So let's put your crusade into practice: How many deaths occur due to drunk driving? How many lives has Crack-Cocaine, heroine or Methamphetamine destroyed? Maybe another ban or law will help here? I think not. It's just more empty action that will do nothing...more nothing...more nothing.

Moving to support yet another ban on those who would be going through a normal, legal process to secure firearms is going to be as effective against gun related violence/homicide as moving to support yet another law against drunk driving or alcohol or drug abuse. The criminals will STILL get access.

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Specializes in Trauma.

I recently read a news article that stated Brazil has perhaps the most strict gun laws of any country, but yet their murder by firearm rate is 5 times higher than that of the US, per capita. Everyone knows laws such as these don't work. People just like to tell themselves they did something.

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just like there is the right to carry q gun there should be right to refuse mental health treatment and there is until person is already a danger. that wont help anyway , imo. if we want a country where guns are legal you have to excpect and accept this to occur

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