2009 NSNA/Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek Essay Contest Grand Prize Winner
The Green Change Movement-Reuse, Recycle and Reduce
Sheila D. Holman
Sheila Holman (right), from Mercer County Community College, Trenton, NJ, pictured with NSNAŽ Imprint Editor and Image of Nursing chair, Lauren Brewer won the Essay Contest Grand Prize, presented at NSNA's 57th Annual Convention, April 15-19, 2009, in Nashville, TN. Students were asked to respond to the question "What can nurses and nursing students do to raise awareness and take action to create a greener and healthier living environment?" Ms. Holman won a $500 gift cheque, complimentary registration to the Convention and the winning essay published online at www.nurse.com and www.nsna.org.
There are three categories in the green awareness world. They are reuse, recycle, and reduce. Nurses and nursing students can
get involved in their communities by developing conferences in their local communities that follow the ideas of a healthy,
green awareness. Nurses and nursing students would partner up with community organizations such as civic groups, hospitals,
Senior Citizen Centers, YMCA's, Boys Clubs, wellness centers, golf clubs, and schools to all take part in the green-healthcare
conferences. Nurses and nursing students could also form a green-healthcare website with donation and drop-off locations for
those who are willing to part with household items, clothing, appliances, books, computers and mobile phones. At the
conferences, local community leaders from organizations would have E-mail lists for the public to participate in on-going
projects such as blood drives, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) classes. A typical green-healthcare conference would
probably look like this:
CONFERENCE TABLE 1: SMOKING CESSATION
Nurses and nursing students could administer smoking cessation programs with hotlines and websites with mentors for those who
are having trouble quitting. They could remind smokers to quit smoking and free up their disposable income to consume organic
food and purchase energy efficient light bulbs. Likewise, they could campaign at hospitals and doctors' offices to "stop
smoking and invest in your health." Reminding the public that less smoking means less accidental fires to properties and air
pollution and loss of life from fires could be a major part of this service.
TABLE 2: AIR POLLUTION AND ALLERGY AND ASTHMA
Creating a healthy breathing environment is critical to prevent childhood asthma attacks. Parents are forced to take time off
from work to attend to their children's allergy or asthma attack. Time off from work takes money out of parents' pockets, and
harms corporate America because work is not getting done. Healthcare cost reductions are paramount in the comeback of corporate
America in a global economy. A selection of "green" air filter and cleaning product companies would display and explain their
merchandise and might offer "special-conference prices." Free allergy test sign-up sheets would also be provided to the public.
TABLE 3: IMMUNIZATION
Nurses could provide shot records, age recommendation lists, and service locations to the public. Lost time from work due to
flu or to preventable childhood diseases from lack of immunization in our communities denies Americans the opportunity of
positioning first in a competitive global economy.
TABLE 4: WASHING HANDS AND ILLNESS REDUCTION
Nursing and nursing students can spread awareness of washing hands thoroughly. Cleaning common areas such as computer keyboards,
and door knobs would reduce the spread of illnesses. Sample-size hand sanitizer's bottle would be made available.
TABLE 5: ORGANIC NUTRITIOUS FOOD AND EXERCISE AND SLEEP
Adults must become positive role models because children are always watching. Children need to learn that quitters are winners
when it comes to smoking and losing excess body fat. Since children tend to follow more of what they see and less of what is
said to them, nurses and nursing students could offer workshops for school projects that teach children to read food labels, to
recycle, and to learn healthy exercise habits. Nurses could have poster contests for new green food labels, proper disposal for
trash, and adequate exercise and sleep habits.
TABLE 6: SAFETY PRODUCTS AND CLUTTER FREE HOUSEKEEPING
Nurses and nursing students could promote awareness of preventable accidents of slips, trips, and falls. The bath tub and
stairs are common places for accidents. Less sick time frees up disposable income for individuals to spend at recreational
activities and more quality time with family and friends. Literature for bath tub rails could be provided to the public.
Housekeeping companies could provide hand-outs for green organizational housekeeping products. Nurses and nursing students
would remind the public to donate or recycle unused clutter items to charity organizations. The fire department will provide
information for the placement of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
TABLE 7: BLOOD DONATIONS
Nurses and nursing students can promote donations of blood, one of life's precious resources. An E-mail list would be provided
for community organization to host blood drives at their facilities and a mobile donation team would be on hand for donations
that day.
TABLE 8: DONATED ITEMS OR TIME
American children are behind in basic skills such as reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as computer literacy. Libraries
have limited resources, and after school programs for children are scarce. Child care options are limited for teenager and
college-age student parents who want to stay in school. Nursing students could advertise for donations in their local
communities for babysitter vouchers at nonprofit agencies' or they also could donate recycled books at after school programs,
and recycle computers from businesses to local community programs. They could offer sign-up sheets for retired seniors to share
their valuable know-how and tutor at after school programs. Seniors could also teach children recreational mind expanding
activities such as chess. Children learn critical thinking skills, strategy, and patience through recreational games. Nursing
students could remind professors to administer exams through the computer in college or high school. This exam process saves
paper and also increases computer skills. Students can also receive their exam results immediately at the end of a test or
through an E-mail link.
TABLE 9: SOLAR ENERGY AWARENESS
Solar panels on roofs of schools, hospitals, and libraries can encourage people to use more effective energy sources in their
own homes. Eventually solar panels on residential homes will be an everyday occurrence. Energy companies would be invited to
display their products at this table.
TABLE 10: CHILDREN'S BOOKS ON ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND HEALTH
Nurses and nursing students can participate in reading sessions in the pediatrics' units and can encourage children to spend
more time reading on topics such as alternative energy and organic food than sitting in front of a television set. This will
also allow the nurses to further bond with their patients. Local libraries and book stores will provide a reading circle for
children through adults at this table.
TABLE 11: CAR POOLS AND GREEN HOTELS
Nurses and nursing students should car pool when possible and rent energy- efficient vehicle such as hybrids when attending
National Student Nurses' Association (NSNA) conventions. Nurses could stay at green hotels. Green hotels give one an option to
opt out of having their guest towels and sheets washed every day. A list of participating hotels and rental dealers will be
provided.
TABLE 12: ENERGY AUDIT PROVIDER LIST
Nurses and nursing students could invite or provide resources to the public who like to have energy audits performed for
residential or commercial buildings.
TABLE 13: HEALTH CAREER EMPLOYMENT
Assisted living companies could promote job opportunities to nursing students. Healthcare job provide income and practical
experience for nursing students.
Our great-great-grandchildren will benefit if we continue "The Green Change Movement." With positive role models from parents and encouragement from healthcare providers the American people will prosper!
2008 NIWI Essay Winner
The Link Between Patient Advocacy and Voter Participation
Zennoma Richardson
Abstract
Nurses make up a large percentage of the voting population, however many will not vote in the next election because they do not believe
their vote will make a difference. Nurses make lifesaving and life-altering decisions for their patients everyday by being an advocate. The
role of nurse advocate is a crucial one that has a significant influence on our health care system. However, it will take a team oriented,
united front approach to ensure that change happens.
The Link between Patient Advocacy and Voter Participation
Florence Nightingale, the "founder of modern nursing," once said, "I think one's feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results." Like Nightingale, the forefathers of this country placed a high value on what was actionable. In
doing so, they established voting, the D.S. Constitution and a democratic society. It is my belief that "actions which bring results," is best illustrated when patient advocacy transcends daily nurse patient interaction to reach the community-at-large. However, this challenge can only be met by voter participation.
John's Hopkins Nursing Magazine (2007) states that, "one out of every forty-five registered voters is a nurse." This means that 2.8M voters have assumed the role of patient care advocate. Yet many nurses will choose not to vote in the upcoming elections because they do not see how voting will affect change. If we consult the American Nurses Association (ANA), a leader in nursing practice, we will see that nursing is defined as the "protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations." (Bucher, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Lewis and O'Brien, 2007, p.3). If 2.8M voters are nurses as defined by the ANA, don't these nurses have a
responsibility to their patients to be an advocate, both in and outside of hospital walls?
It is no surprise that nurses playa leading role in health care. According to USA today's annual Gallup poll on professional honesty and
ethical standards, "nurses ranked number one in terms of public respect." However, the more than ten-year shortage of nurses in education, hospitals and those with advanced degrees has created a major nursing deficit and has compromised our health care system.
In August 2002, the collaborative voices of nurses around the country were heard when President Bush signed federal legislature to enact
the Nurse Reinvestment Act, introduced to the House of Representatives by Rep Lois Capps (D-California), a registered nurse. (AORN, 2002). This act alone provided 98M in grants, loan reimbursements, scholarships and educational incentives for students and practicing nurses. More importantly, this act proved that nurses do indeed have a voice, which can be heard even on the steps of Washington.
When a patient makes the decision to leave the hospital Against Medical Advice (AMA) because he doesn't have insurance to pay for a test and is afraid he will lose his job; it is the nurse who advocates. When a single mother needs life saving surgery and begs for her four year-old daughter to be able to stay with her, because they have no other family; it is the nurse who advocates.
As "the largest group of health care providers," (Abood, 2007) nurses are in a unique position to affect patient outcomes, because they have first-hand experience with the impact of health care policies on direct patient care. Furthermore, the State Board of Nursing has equipped
nurses with the power to be instrumental in nursing practice, policy and the health care community. (Abood, 2007).
The sick and indigent depend on the dedication and commitment of nurses to protect and preserve their rights, not just as patients but also as human beings. Advocacy should not end with daily patient interactions but should instead encompass all patients, on a national scale. When nurses work together to advocate for the best interest of all patients they send the message that they will not sit back while onlookers in Washington call orders from the sidelines.
The collective voice of 2.8M nurse voters is a dynamic conduit by which change in our country's health care system can occur. These empowered nurses from various backgrounds and levels of socio-economic status demonstrate their commitment to making a difference each election, by enacting their right to vote; the only "action which brings results." (Nightingale).
References
Abood, S. (2007, January 07). Influencing health care in the legislative arena.
[Electronic version]. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 12.
Bell, B. (2002, October). Nurse reinvestment act. AORN. Retrieved on November 15,2007
from http://ndarticles.com/p/articles/mi mOFSL/is 4 76/ai 93069854
Bucher, L., Dirksen, S., Heitkemper, M., & O'Brien, P. (2007). Concepts in nursing practice.
In Medical surgical nursing: Assessment
and management of clinical problems. (7th 00. p.3).
St. Louis, MO: Mosby
Nursing seen as most ethical occupation. USA Today, 8A. Retrieved on November 18,2007
from http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=25888&pg=1
