NY Nurse: November 2021

nurse New York

New york state editioN | November 2021

CONVENTION 2021:

A Defining Moment for Our Union, pp. 6-7 AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE CLIMATE CRISIS, PP. 9-11

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NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

The Impact of the Great Resignation on Healthcare Workers

By Nancy Hagans, RN NYSNA President

Advocating for patients. Advancing the profession.SM BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Nancy Hagans, RN, BSN, CCRN nancy.hagans@nysna.org First Vice President Judith Cutchin, RN, MSN judith.cutchin@nysna.org Second Vice President Marion Enright, RN marion.enright@nysna.org Secretary Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN, BC nella.pineda-marcon@nysna.org Treasurer Jayne L. Cammisa, RN, BSN jayne.cammisa@nysna.org Directors at Large Matt Allen, RN, BSN matt.allen@nysna.org Reginalt Atangan, RN reginalt.atangan@nysna.org Marie Boyle, RN, BSN marie.boyle@nysna.org Seth B. Dressekie, RN, MSN, PMHNP, BC seth.dressekie@nysna.org

O

ver the course of the past several months, many media outlets have written stories on nurses’ resistance to vaccine mandates.

Although most nurses are vaccinated, many reporters and outlets have been obsessed with the small minority of people who have not been vaccinated.

But there has even been narrow reporting on the reasons some nurses were hesitant to be vaccinated. Some nurses hesitated due to distrust of hospital management.

These are the same managers who failed to contain the virus with adequate PPE. For example, the N95 respiratory mask should be fit-tested and be used with one patient, then disposed of after four hours.

Nurses were told by management to reuse these masks for an entire week. Some hospitals claimed to “clean” the masks and then recirculated them. The disregard of basic health and safety precautions has not inspired trust in hospital leadership. We need more investigative journalists and reporters to cover this part of the vaccine story.

Flandersia Jones, RN, BSN, MPH flandersia.jones@nysna.org

Offer Context

Michelle Jones, RN, MSN, ANP-C michelle.jones@nysna.org

We also need those with platforms and those in the media to offer context. There has been little appreciation for the multiple issues facing nurses, issues that adversely impact mental, physical and emotional health. There has been insufficient coverage on the underlying issues that have exacerbated short staffing — inadequate planning on the part of hospital and nursing home executives, COVID-19 related burnout, the injustice of contract nurse arrangements that see agency nurses paid more than staff nurses for the same work, and lack of mental health supports, etc.

Sonia M. Lawrence, RN, BSN sonia.lawrence@nysna.org Benny K. Mathew, RN, MS, CCRN, CEN, SCRN benny.mathew@nysna.org Ari Moma, RN, MSA ari.moma@nysna.org Jean Erica Padgett, RN jean.padgett@nysna.org Regional Directors Southeastern

Bruce Lavalle, RN bruce.lavalle@nysna.org

Southern

Aretha Morgan, RN aretha.morgan@nysna.org

Central

Catherine Dawson,RN,CNOR,MSN catherine.dawson@nysna.org

Lower Hudson/NJ Cynthia Caruso, RN cynthia.caruso@nysna.org Western

Steven Bailey, RN steven.bailey@nysna.org

Eastern

Bill Schneider, RN, CCRN bill.schneider@nysna.org

Editor Jennifer R. Farmer Executive Editor Pat Kane, RN, CNOR Executive Director Editorial offices located at: 131 W 33rd St., New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-785-0157 Email: communications@nysna.org Website: www.nysna.org Subscription rate: $33 per year ISSN (Print) 1934-7588/ISSN (Online) 1934-7596 ©2021, All rights reserved

…the narrative that healthcare workers are opting to leave the profession before complying with vaccine mandates has not been situated inside of what is happening in the labor movement.

But more than any of this, the narrative that healthcare workers are opting to leave the profession before complying with vaccine mandates has not been situated inside of the broader history of what is happening in the labor movement nationally. COVID-19 has impacted not only healthcare workers, but all workers. The nation is witnessing a great resignation, or mass exodus of workers, that has touched industries from coast to coast.

Impacts of the Great Resignation Once characterized by signs on retail shops with managers noting some variation of “sorry no one showed up for work,” the great resignation is vaster than many originally expected. And it is influenced not by workers being lazy or unaware of the benefits of vaccinations. Many people are leaving due to burnout, a desire for greater work-life balance, and a need to find more fulfillment at work. Working conditions in many sectors have long been prob-

lematic. COVID-19 then, was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. It was the catalyst for change that many had already been contemplating.

Workers Need More Notwithstanding these issues, younger workers including GenZs and Millenials are opting to leave employers who do not offer extensive PTO, quality health insurance and good pay, in search of those that do. Workers are becoming increasingly aware of their unique offerings and are demanding more from employers than a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck.

As business, healthcare and political reporters cover vaccine mandates, we hope they will situate the story in the context of what is happening more broadly in the labor movement. The great resignation is reaching workers across industries and sectors. Rather than pitting workers against one another, we should be examining how to improve working conditions.

NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

Prepare to Bargain

O

n December 6, 2021, NYSNA will host our first ever statewide bargaining conference. It is an opportunity to unite workers across regions and systems and prepare for upcoming contract negotiations. The conference will feature educational courses, regional and systemwide breakouts, strategy sessions and more. Because many employers are statewide or rapidly expanding across NY, we want to ensure that employees who are separated by buildings but employed by the same system can work collaboratively to develop strategies to improve patient care.

We know that the convening on bargaining comes at a pivotal moment in workers’ lives. The nation is still in the throes of one of the worst pandemics in generations, and a lot of people have yet to recover. Many people are still grappling with shifts in how we work, worship, teach and learn, and live. Despite all that, some employers are still offering performative actions over substantive change. We have heard stories of hospitals offering pizza and platitudes without addressing workers’ underlying needs. In other words, rhetoric has not been matched by changes in policies, practices and pay.

It Began Slowly Working people, however, are resisting. Just like attempting to start a fire with semi-damp wood, initially the fire doesn’t start. Then a spark begins slowly, with a flicker we think will dissipate. But now it is growing. With a time and wind, the fire will escalate. The fire represents the pleas from workers demanding change. For instance, 800 nurses at St. Vincent hospital in Massachusetts and 1,100 coal miners in Alabama went on strike earlier this year.

Ten thousand John Deere workers are also on strike, and tens of thousands of other workers at other workplaces have been on the verge of striking. For instance, 60,000 film and television workers in the union IATSE came close to striking

By Pat Kane, RN NYSNA Executive Director

NYSNA Executive Director Patricia Kane speaks at a labor rally for mayoral candidate Eric Adams.

before forcing their employers to give them a fair contract.

Channel KARE 11 in Minnesota noted that there have been 176 strikes this year, and a “local nurses strike that resulted in the temporary closure of Allina’s Abbott Northwestern WestHealth ER and Urgent Care was the 17th strike in October.”

On Strike By contributing to the strike fund and going to the picket line, NYSNA members directly supported the 2000 CWA nurses and healthcare workers who were on strike at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo for 35 days. The CWA nurses reached a “groundbreaking” tentative agreement.

The wave of work stoppages is now being called “Striketober.”

What is happening at workplaces is indicating several things. First, many employers are trying to demonize workers by saying they’re refusing to be vaccinated and therefore compromising others. But what those employers are not saying is that it is a minority of workers who have yet to be vaccinated. They’re also not revealing the investments that employers need to make, beyond mandates, to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Next, work stoppages are not about workers being unwilling to work. They are about people demanding improved working conditions. And until more people organize and come together to bargain collectively, it will be increasingly difficult to gain the types of wages

and benefits that improve life not just for workers and the families but for the communities they serve.

So far though, many employers appear to be passing the buck or feigning ignorance. NYSNA Field Director Eric Smith shared with me recently, “One of the biggest employers in the country, Kaiser Permanente, emerged from the pandemic thinking they could give 1% pay increases with 1% bonuses only, and an even worse two-tier wage scale for new nurses. If that is where Kaiser is, what about the other health systems. After all healthcare workers have endured, what makes Kaiser think workers deserve less? Moreover, how does this proposal line up with what the CEO earned last year?”

Never Give Up We know that employers are not automatically benevolent. They don’t always wake up and decide to do right by their employees. That is why it is imperative for workers to stick together and to continue pushing back. But non-unionized workers must appreciate that given the broader issues facing workers, they too should come together to bargain collectively.

Following our convention this past October, we are doublingdown on our commitment to continuing advocating for our fellow nurses, patients and communities. I hope you will stay engaged and join me and hundreds of other nurses at the retreat on Dec. 6. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/ NYSNABargainingRetreat.

We know that employers are not automatically benevolent. They don’t always wake up and decide to do right by their employees.

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NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

Meet Your Board Members “We must be united in advocating for our patients and each other.”

For the next several editions of New York Nurse Magazine, we will highlight NYSNA board members. In this installment, meet Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN, Mike Allen, RN and Reginalt Atangan, RN.

“The last year has shown a spotlight on the issues we’ve always had as nurses and health care workers” Matt Allen, RN

NELLA PINEDA-MARCON, RN, has been an NYSNA member for 32 years. She was elected to the board of directors in 2016. PinedaMarcon chairs the board of director’s Climate and Disaster Relief Committee. She has participated in NYSNA lobby days and volunteered for NYSNA-related events/ rallies to fight for Safe Staffing, Climate and Environmental Justice, and Health Care for all.

Additionally, Pineda-Marcon has led and participated in medical missions in various parts of the world, particularly places hard hit by catastrophic events intensified by climate change.

What She Wants You to Know: “I became active in NYSNA in 2013 when I volunteered as a first responder during Typhoon Haiyan.

Since then, I have led and participated in various disaster relief/medical missions all over the world. During our missions with NYSNA members, I have met nurses from different facilities in New York and have gotten to know some of the common struggles nurses face in daily practice.

“As a member of my bargaining unit’s executive committee, I will make sure that nurses at Mount Sinai Morningside and West will be given the respect and dignity that we deserve. We should all work together and have stronger contracts protecting us from punitive and unjust punishment by our leadership. We must be united in advocating for our patients and each other. Each member’s voice should not be taken for granted. We have the strength if we empower our members to become leaders to fight for justice and the common good.”

Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN REGINALT ATANGAN, RN, is

Nella Pineda-Marcon, RN

ing about their life and being with them during a difficult time of their life and being a support system for them. Allen believes his fellow nurses are rad and have many amazing ideas.

What He Wants You to Know: “The last year has shown a spotlight on the issues we’ve always had as nurses and health care workers.

Employers can now blame short staffing and lack of resources on the pandemic, but these were issues we were always facing. What’s different is these issues are finally getting attention. There is finally a spotlight on issues we’ve seen for years: lack of policies to protect us, lack of resources, short staffing, etc. These were the preexisting conditions. Now people are aware and there is a more general outcry that things need to change.”

Reginalt Atangan, RN

What He Wants You to Know: “Nursing has always been a calling for me, and I love what I do.

However, I am tired and frustrated at how unsafe conditions consistently place our career and license in jeopardy. It’s time we, as a UNITED profession, really put our stamp on the NYS Staffing bill and ensure the safety of our profession as well as future generations.”

“I am tired and frustrated at how unsafe conditions consistently place our career and license in jeopardy”

MATT ALLEN, RN, works at

Mt. Sinai Hospital. He was recently elected to his Local Bargaining Unit’s Executive Committee. Mike has been a nurse for six years. His favorite thing about being a nurse is interacting with patients, learn-

an assistant head nurse at Queens Hospital Center, which is part of the NYC Health + Hospitals corporation. He began his career there over 15 years ago after graduating from CUNY’s Queensborough Community. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Matt Allen, RN

Reginalt Atangan, RN

ABOUT YOU

NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

Who Is NYSNA?

By Jennifer R. Farmer

Y

ou show up and do the impossible. You sacrifice your own well-being in pursuit of others’ wellbeing. You do that even though you rarely receive a welcome mat or red carpet treatment. Truly, there aren’t enough words and accolades to honor you. But do you know who you are? Do you know the uniqueness of the people working alongside you? Do you know the basic traits of your union siblings? Here are a few facts about NYSNA. Our membership is 80% working mothers who are the primary breadwinners of their families. Our union represents, upholds and consists of working New York families.

Not only are NYSNA members on the frontlines of health care, they hold a crucial role in their immediate and nuclear families as well.

The majority of our members are between age 30 and to 69. At least 89% are women or womenidentifying.

Much like New York State, our union is also diverse. Just over 50% of our membership is Caucasian, 26.85% is Black, 10% is Asian, 10% is Hispanic and 1.5% is Middle Eastern. Another .03% is Native American.

We Want to Help The majority of our members are from immigrant families. That is important because in many immigrant communities, there is a strong orientation to helping one’s immediate and extended family.

That bodes well because nursing is one of the few professions where a health care worker can have the flexibility to work and care for loved ones while earning a living.

When you see NYSNA’s communications department commemorating different heritage and awareness months, the intention is to be inclusive. NYSNA’s membership is diverse and it’s important to highlight that diversity.

As I said at the outset, you are unique. NYSNA sees and honors you.

Nurses Can Apply for Public Student Loan Forgiveness

F

or decades, parents, students and financial advisers have warned about the high cost of post-secondary education. In the second quarter of 2021, Americans had $1.59 trillion in outstanding student loan debt. This skyrocketing figure has had disastrous consequences on families and communities.

Student loan debt can cause one to delay home ownership, launching a business or starting a family.

It can cause stress and financial strain. Yet, more than half of students took out some type of student loan in 2019 according to the Federal Reserve. Nurses are no exception. Nerdwallet reported the average nursing student debt to be: ● Associate Degree Nursing (ADN): $19,928 average debt. ● Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): $23,711 average debt. ● Master of Science in Nursing (MSN): $47,321 average debt.

Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sen.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley have urged the Biden administration to move forward with broad student loan forgiveness. Since the start of his administration, Biden has announced student loan forgiveness for a variety of groups, including persons who qualified for a closed school discharge, a total and permanent disability (TPD) discharge or the borrower defense to repayment program.

But in a move that hits closer to home, the administration recently

*Gender data from partial membership count of 21,036

*Race data from partial membership count of 12,492

*Age data from partial membership count of 22,475

announced that nurses may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). PSLF offers tax-free forgiveness of federal direct loans after nurses make 120 eligible payments while working full time for a qualifying employer.

Private loans are ineligible for disCONTINUED ON PAGE 15

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NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

TOGETHER WE RISE! “There’s no question that we are at a pivotal moment for our union and for our profession,” said NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN, Chair of NYSNA’s 2021 Convention, kicking off the annual event.

“There are no words to describe what we’ve been through during this pandemic. But every day, on every shift, we’ve been there for our patients. I’m so proud that together, we saved the lives of over 150,000 New Yorkers,” said President Hagans, RN.

T NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN

Margaret Pana, RN, Bellevue Hospital and Evelyn Nebrija, RN, Metropolitan Hospital

his year’s NYSNA Convention brought together hundreds of members to a New York City hotel and thousands more virtually in a dynamic sharing of ideas and setting of direction.

Rank-n-file delegates and LBU leaders spoke about critical efforts to raise COVID safety measures, negotiate strong contacts and receive recognition pay.

President Hagans, RN, set an immediate goal: “What each of us needs to do between now and January is to ensure the landmark staffing law we won last summer actually translates into more RNs and other caregivers at the bedside.”

NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN, enumerated the campaigns carried out in the course of the year. “With everything that happened during COVID,” she said, “and thanks to all your orga-

nizing, the public is scrutinizing our hospitals and nursing homes like never before.”

Past the breaking point “It’s been challenging at times, even overwhelming,” said Board Member Michelle Jones, RN, and co-chair, Flushing Hospital

Medical Center’s LBU. NYSNA Board Member Steve Bailey, RN, who works at Erie County Medical Center Terrace View Long Term Care, spoke about the Emergency Department at ECMC with patients “lined up down the hallway.” In many of our hospitals, the COVID-19 pandemic brought staffing levels past the breaking point.

Also attending Convention were two nurse delegates from Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Vivienne Phillips, RN, and Salina Flores, RN. They have helped make the geriatric psychiatric care unit a highly-regarded resource for the elderly. Many nursing homes send patients for care to KJMC. But recently its closure was announced.

“This is very painful for us,” said Nurse Flores. “My heart is aching.”

“They fixed a wheel that wasn’t broken!” exclaimed Nurse Phillips, who chairs the executive committee at KJMC. “I feel for the patients.”

Care for every New Yorker

NYSNA Executive Director Pat Kane, RN

For Marva Wade, RN, retired nurse delegate, her tireless work in behalf of the New York Health Act and participation in the Labor Campaign for Single Payer has been a great inspiration. “COVID19 demonstrates the absolute need to provide care for every

CONVENTION 2021

NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

New Yorker,” she said. “Crowded households living on low wage jobs translated into death,” she said.

Political and Policy Platform The First Resolution, presented by Board Member Sonia Lawrence, RN, Lincoln Hospital, on NYSNA’s Political and Policy Platform, 2021-2022, was passed overwhelmingly by delegates present and online. It is a sweeping and compelling statement that acknowledges healthcare as a human right, references the social determinants of healthcare, calls for protection of nurses’ scope of practice and implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in all patient care settings.

The Resolution opposes expansion of for-profit healthcare — “patients must take precedence over profit.”

“We’ve got momentum — and leverage — that we’ve never had,” said Executive Director Pat Kane.

“Our new staffing law is just the beginning of what we can accomplish if we stand up and stick together.”

(left to right) Sharon Greenway, RN, NYC H+H/North Central Bronx; Nicole SmithFerguson, RN, NYC H+H/Gotham Health, Morrisania; and Slay Sonji, RN, NYC H+H/Gotham Health, Sydenham

Board Member Michelle Jones, RN, Flushing Hospital Medical Center

Marva Wade, RN, retired member delegate

(left to right) NYC H+H/Jacobi Medical Center RN Adeniji Taiwo; NYC H+H/Metropolitan Hospital RNs Gail Mills, Leovy Satorre, Jennifer Minto-Hinton, Marcia Fuller, Georgia Barredo

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

(front row left to right) ECMC RNs: Nathan Sull, RN, Dylan Deabold, RN, Sherry Thomas, RN, Liam Morrissey, RN, Avneet Jacob, RN (back left to right) Lee Barnett, RN, John Batson, RN, and Board Member Steve Bailey (ECMC-Terrace View Long Term Care).

Principal photography: Jehan LLC

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NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

Doing What We Can to Care for Ourselves

By Peppur Chambers, Contributor

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n 1998, singer/songwriter Karen White released what became a grammy-winning anthem for women around the world. With lyrics, “I’m not the kind of girl that you can let down (and think that everything is okay)”, karaoke nights from New York to Los Angeles, had people of all genders belting into tear-stained microphones, singing the woes of pain felt deep, deep in the soul.

I’ll always be there for you through good and bad times but I can’t be that superwoman that you want me to be I’ll give my everlasting love if you’ll return love to me I’m not your superwoman If this isn’t the life of a nurse, then what is? This profession, perhaps more than any other, makes demands of you that are so taxing, so emotionally draining, so physically exhausting that sometimes you falter. Sometimes, that cape that you’ve put upon your shoulders loses it sail. Those fragile strings holding it together at your neck fray and your superhero cape withers to the ground, leaving you to do the same.

In Pain

RESOURCE Https://Ojin.Nursingworld.

Org/Mainmenucategories/ Anamarketplace/ Anaperiodicals/OJIN/ Tableofcontents/Vol-192014/No3-Sept-2014/ Practicing-Self-Care-ForNurses.Html

Depression amongst nurses is prevalent and suicide rates are on the rise. Over the years, the stressors have not changed, although with 2020, the circumstances have.

The pandemic exacerbated common problems such as unpredictable and challenging workspaces, lack of power, role ambiguity, violence, and being undervalued.

There is evidence that 50% of nurses treating COVID-19 patients experience depression, 71% have distress and 45% experience anxiety, for example.

For some, depression and anxiety can present as being manageable.

Suicide is something different.

While many of us have been affected by suicide, and even more of us have thought about it, the majority of us do not talk about suicide for fear of bosses, col-

leagues and family members thinking of us as less than super.

To be perfectly frank, you don’t have to be anything to anyone, except alive. So, let’s keep talking.

Let’s keep living.

Practice How do you give yourself life?

You practice.

Practice vulnerability. Your patients must be vulnerable to receive your care. There’s no textbook that says you couldn’t or shouldn’t do the same. There is no shame in being vulnerable enough to ask for and receive help from a professional therapist, who just like you, is there to help.

Practice being kind. How often do you offer kind words, gentle touches and welcoming smiles to your patients, administrators, friends, family and everyone else… except yourself? Hug yourself, smile to yourself in the mirror, treat yourself to some chocolate and enjoy it without guilt or remorse. You deserve kindness, so get in the routine of administering it to yourself.

Practice joy. Happiness is the best medicine, right? The happiness research institute agrees. Feeling joy is an amazing healer and even just thinking about joy can send radiating feelings of warmth to your body when you’re feeling like your spark has absolutely fizzled into darkness. It can sound silly, but even watching puppies on TikTok or watching a good bellyaching comedy at night before bed can do the trick.

Practice doing nothing at all. Yes, sometimes this seems impossible.

Just 60 seconds is enough time for you to go inwards, quiet your mind and do nothing but inject peace into your soul. If you’re able to find 15 minutes or more, then fabulous.

Remember, you give an inordinate amount of time to others; taking 15 minutes for yourself to meditate, take a walk outside, or sit in your car (or on a bench) with your eyes closed is not asking too much at all.

Practice thinking positively.

Depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation can feed off our thoughts.

With all that is going on around us and inside us, it almost feels that spiraling into hopelessness is inevitable. (Even when we’re outwardly smiling to others!) You’re not alone. You truly aren’t. One way to help, until you can get some help, is to think less “spirally”.

To replace darker thoughts with lighter thoughts. To avoid consuming thoughts altogether and choose those more manageable. Replacing and avoiding are just two thinking-type tactics you can use; the practice of mindfulness offers a multitude more.

There is Hope No one has to tell you that being a nurse can be hard. Really hard.

Especially these days. That is why we wanted to take a moment to let you know that we see you, we are rooting for you, and we are organizing alongside you.

While we do our part to support your voice on the job, we hope you can find space to give yourself the love, care and concern you deserve.

You are entitled to this and so much more.

CLIMATE CRISIS

NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

It Is Real; It Is Bad; and It Is Getting Worse

By Jennifer R. Farmer

We know that this convening coincides with increased warnings on the need to take action to address the climate emergency.

For instance, in August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report that found that catastrophic temperature warming thresholds of 2 degrees Celsius would be “beyond reach” without dramatic and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

In September 2021, leading medical journals from across the world published an editorial noting that the greatest threat to global public health is the climate crisis. They noted that the consequences of inaction would fall disproportionately on communities and countries least responsible for the climate emergency.

For years, scientists have warned that climate change would produce more intense and more frequent weather emergencies. And though we heard this warning, it was insufficient to prepare us for the devastation of hurricanes Maria, Sandy, Ida and others. With each storm and extreme weather event, com-

Extreme heat

NG URES SI RAT E

TEM RI P

Heat-related illness and death, cardiovascular failure

Environmental EL N G degradation S Forced migration, civil conflict, mental health impacts Water and food supply impacts Malnutrition diarrheal disease

munities are destroyed with little prospect of complete recovery.

Healthcare workers are uniquely impacted by the climate emergency.

We are on the frontlines following natural disasters. We are in community health centers treating vulnerable communities, and we are in hospitals helping patients recover from respiratory illnesses and other ailments with a direct link to the climate crisis. As people who see firsthand the trauma of inaction, we are raising our voices urging action, and action now.

Far Reaching Impact “There is a wide range of human health, safety and mental health threats posed by the impacts of climate change,” said Flandersia Jones, RN. “As a nurse working in the Bronx, I am constantly aware of the many obstacles patients face.

The health impacts from climate change and ozone pollution results in significant increases in acute respiratory symptoms, asthmarelated emergency room visits, weather-related hospital admissions for infants and the elderly, lost school days and premature deaths.

Unfortunately, the marginalized, low-income communities of color are disproportionately hit the hard-

Asthma, cardiovascular disease Air pollution

MO R WE E A

IN EV G ELS

Severe weather

SI IN CREA V CO 2 LE

Action is Required

Injuries, fatalities, mental health impacts

ME TRE EXTHER

A

mid the nine-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, and days before the UN Climate Change Conference, Conference of Parties (COP26), in Glasgow we need substantive action from world leaders on the climate emergency. Although parties to the COP will review progress on reducing emissions and the effectiveness of overall efforts to address the climate crisis, participants must leave the Oct. 31 through Nov. 12 convening with a plan of action.

Certainly, NYSNA has been monitoring this and other convenings for years. NYSNA represented nurses from the United States at the COP21 in Paris. And we plan to send a representative to COP26 as well. NYSNA Board Secretary Nella Pineda-Marcon will represent the union at COP26.

S RI L SEA

Malaria, dengue, encephalitis, hantavirus, rift valley fever, lyme disease, chikungunya, West Nile virus

Changes in vector ecology

Increasing allergens Respiratory allergies, asthma

Water quality impacts Cholera, cryptosporidiosis campylobacter, leptospirosis, harmful algal blooms

est. As nurses, we must advocate for change within our workplaces and at all levels of government for healthy public policy including renewable energy options.”

Nurses must be involved as game changers in this pending global catastrophe. Here’s why.“The social determinants of health — the precursors to understanding prevention and care — comprise the major component of our holistic approach to healing,” said Judy Sheridan-González, RN, immediate past president of NYSNA and long-time environmental activist.

“Global warming has overarching effects on all of our communities resulting in such a broad array of illnesses that it simply cannot be ignored: respiratory problems from asthma to emphysema, malnutrition, dehydrating illnesses, injuries, vector-related infections, unclean water micro-organism invasion, cardiovascular complications, mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder and even forced migration due to extreme weather often resulting in violence and even war.”

The climate crisis is, therefore, one of the most pressing issues of our times. Without urgent action to keep temperature increases below CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

For years, scientists have warned that climate change would produce more intense and more frequent weather emergencies.

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CLIMATE CRISIS

NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

Due to Gender Inequity, the Climate Crisis Adversely Impacts Women and Girls

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By Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee he human-caused climate crisis is fueling heat waves, increasing wildfires, amplifying droughts, supercharging tropical cyclones, causing extreme rainfall, and driving coastal flooding. Hurricane Ida tore through Louisiana and coastal Mississippi and stretched all the way up to my neighborhood in Queens, New York, flooding many parts of New York City and taking the lives of 11 people who could not escape from their flooded basement apartments. From coast to coast, many felt the impact of this natural disaster, which was exacerbated by climate change.

Without immediate and sustained action, the world we enjoy will fail to provide the reliable sanctuary we have come to expect. While we know theoretically that action in this area is important, the impact of the climate crisis on women has been woefully understated. But at every turn, women are disproportionately impacted by inaction on climate change.

The United Nations estimates that 80% of those displaced by climate change are women.

Everything from sexism to economic insecurity to cultural forces combine to place undue burden of the climate crisis on women.

Women in Poverty Adversely Impacted

Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee is the Executive for Economic and Environmental for United Methodist Women.

She is also the organization’s Climate Justice Lead.

A version of this opinion piece was originally published by Religion News Service https://religionnews. com/2021/09/03/to-address-climatechange-address-gender-inequity/

Poverty is a main contributor.

The United Nations notes that of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty, 70% are women. In urban areas, women head 40% of the lowest-wealth households. Women experiencing financial insecurity also tend to work more to secure their families and households. That leaves little time for their own professional development, training, education and well-being.

Persons living in poverty also tend live in frontline communities that suffer the most from the world’s reliance on fossil fuels. They may be least responsible for the climate crisis, but they pay a hefty price.

It is time for advocates to be more vocal about the impact of the climate crisis on women, espe-

change kick-in. Even then, 90% of countries have laws that limit women’s economic opportunities that can bar women from working at factories or getting jobs without their husband’s permission.

Relatedly, on average, women also have less access to capital globally, and in the United States that is exacerbated for women of color. Organizations led by women are less likely to be well-funded, and organizations led by women of color face even steeper funding hurdles. This is collective failure demanding collective action.

Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee leads the climate justice program for United Methodist Women.

cially women living in poverty and women of color in the United States.

It is not uncommon for disaster management plans to assume people have middle or upper-middle-class assets like a private vehicle when evacuating natural disasters. But it is difficult to evacuate when one lives in poverty, lacks reliable transportation, is a primary caretaker for children and the elderly, or lacks credit cards with sizable credit lines.

Women can also experience health challenges associated with climate change. Pregnant women endure heightened health risks due to inaction on climate change, including reduced access to maternal health services. Women who live close to areas where fracking occurs can also have difficulty getting or staying pregnant. Should they carry children to term, their babies may also experience birth defects and complications arising from the fumes associated with fracking.

Health Challenges Though women predominate in the world’s food production (50% to 80%), they own less than 10% of the land. Not enough women are reaping the benefits of ownership or having sufficient opportunity to determine which environmental approaches to select. Women also make up 43% of the agricultural labor force in economically developing countries, which can be unstable when the worst effects of climate

Laws that Disadvantage Women Finally, globally, women are still susceptible to obscene gender-based violence. When natural disasters hit, women are more vulnerable to gender-based violence and afterwards there has been as much as 20-30% increase in trafficking.

In a reported piece, New York Times writer Lauren Jackson interviews Dr. Katherine Wilkinson, co-editor of “All We Can Save,” and concludes that “Men have a larger carbon footprint than women, by 16 percent, according to one study…Yet it is women and girls who bear the burdens in the wake of more frequent climate disasters. Those burdens include displacement — 80 percent of people displaced by climate change are women — as well as increased homelessness, poverty, sexual violence and disease.”

Additionally, most countries still have laws that disadvantage women for their gender. In the United States, women can still pay higher premiums for health insurance or pay for services that men receive for free.

For these reasons, any effort to address climate change must also address gender inequity. Until gender inequity is addressed, we will never level the playing field enough to protect women from the worst effects of the climate crisis. Because women disproportionately suffer from climate change, their voices must be included in decision making and solutions.

They must not only be at the table but resourced to address the climate crisis.

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NOVEMBER 2021

A Nurse’s Perspective on Climate Change

By Flandersia Jones, RN

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urses are trusted health professionals in unique positions to inform and mobilize society to act on climate change.

We are the most trusted sources of information to the American public and are in every community in hospitals, clinics, schools, workplaces, nursing homes and people’s homes. Climate change is causing extended heat spells, both flooding and droughts across the country, extreme weather events, and larger and hotter forest fires as well as threatening food crops. There is a

It’s real CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

1.5 degrees Celsius, we can offer neither an upbeat analysis nor assurances that all will be well. All will not be well.

“Scientists are unanimously telling us that our house is on fire and that we have 11 years to change the path we are on,” said Nella Pineda-Marcon, NYSNA board member and chair of NYSNA’s Climate Justice and Disaster Relief Committee. “I don’t know about you, but I trust science! It is unbelievable that there are still people out there saying that climate change is a hoax. It is real, it is bad, and it is only getting worse. But we have the power to turn the tide. It is possible and we know what we need to do to get there. The way we do this is by implementing the Green New Deal. We must get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. If we do not make significant changes, we will have more and more food shortages, droughts, floods and other extreme weather events. The Green New Deal also includes things beyond climate change. It seeks to fix societal problems like poverty, racial injustice and economic inequity as well.

During these unsettling times, we need a bold vision, like the Green New Deal, for the future.”

wide range of human health, safety and mental health threats posed by the impacts of climate change.

As a nurse working in the Bronx, I am constantly aware of the many obstacles patients face. The health impacts from climate change and ozone pollution results in significant increases in acute respiratory symptoms, asthma-related emergency room visits, weather-related hospital admissions for infants and the elderly, lost school days and premature deaths.

Unfortunately, the marginalized, low-income communities of color are disproportionately hit the hardest. As nurses, we must advocate

for change within our workplaces and at all levels of government for healthy public policy including renewable energy options. Being the nation’s largest body of health care professionals, the most trusted professionals, nurses can make significant changes to improve society’s response to climate changes and drive the changes needed for a healthy future. I urge my fellow NYSNA members to join the movement of change so that the next generation can thrive. We can together do something before it is too late — I am hopeful — but we all need to be in this fight if we want to see and make progress.

Even before COP21, NYSNA was urging action.

Health care workers not only want to live in a healthy and thriving planet, but nurses understand that onethird of heatrelated deaths are the result of climate change. Health care workers understand that climate changes means they are not only meeting people at the bedside with infectious diseases but also climate-related illnesses. The climate crisis exacerbates extreme heat, air pollution, respiratory illnesses, lengthened allergy seasons and fertility problems. In fact, the health costs of climate change exceed $820 billion in the U.S.

since Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

NYSNA doubled down on its involvement following Hurricane Maria in September 2017, when NYSNA created a separate entity, New York Relief Network, to respond to natural disasters.

On the eve of COP26, I caught up with several members to hear their thoughts on what must be done to address the climate crisis.

“We cannot have another convening that is celebrated merely because it is occurring not because it is leading to transformative change,” said Judy Sheridan-Gonzalez, RN. “There can be no celebration as long as the world is held hostage by fossil fuel corporations, billionaires, government heads and those who remain in denial about what must be done to salvage mother earth and to respect its inhabitants.”

“Communities, especially those most impacted by climate change, must have environmental justice, or control over the production and distribution of clean energy,” Sheridan-Gonzalez said.

Frontline Communities Adversely Impacted NYSNA members are more likely to be represented among frontline communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change but also more likely to experience the health impacts as well. As such, the union has been an active part of the climate change movement

Flandersia Jones, RN, NYSNA Board Member

SOURCE: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ climate-change-threat-medical-journal s_n_6135b3fce4b0f1b970631768

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AROUND OUR UNION

NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

NYSNA Member Sam Caquias Honored

N Join NYSNA’s Statewide Staffing Committee

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very victory must be defended.

That is why we invite you to join NYSNA’s Statewide Staffing Committee. Organized and vigilant, NYSNA’s Statewide Staffing Committee works to ensure the enforcement of safe staffing standards in facilities across the state.

To fully implement the staffing law, consistency is critical. The committee will: ● Develop statewide and regional standards to be incorporated into facility staffing proposals. ● Develop and share internal and external organizing strategies for optimizing implementation of the law and establishing statewide staffing ratios. ● Share best practices for relating to and building consensus with representatives of other front line unit staff, and training resources. ● Offer hands-on support for local all-staff committees. ● Engage non-union nurses with staffing ratio template proposals and organizing campaign tools. ● Share information on employer compliance with Transparency and Reporting requirements of the legislation. ● Monitor overall progress of implementation. ● Issue reports on the progress of implementation.

YSNA member Sam Caquias (at far right), of Westchester Medical Center, recently was honored with the Orange County Democrats of New York’s Labor Award!

Sam is well known for his passion about service. He served his country in the Air Force, his patients on the Trauma ICU at WMC and his union in many roles including currently serving on WMC’s NYSNA Negotiating Committee.

Knowing Sam, he would probably say that his role as father to his two lovely daughters is his greatest service, and reward. Our deepest gratitude to Sam and all you do as an exemplary labor leader!

Bertrand Chaffee Hospital Members Ratify New Contract

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ocal bargaining unit (LBU) members at Bertrand Chaffee Hospital in Springville, NY successfully ratified a new three-year con-

tributions for lowest cost plan, and an increase in certification and preceptor differentials.

Congratulations Bertrand Chaffee members!

Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center to close Adult Psychiatric Unit

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he Adult Psychiatric Unit at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center is slated to close soon, triggering strong objections from nurses of the New York State Nurses Association and the local community. Kingsbrook Jewish is part of the One Brooklyn Health system, established in 2016 to meet community healthcare needs.

The Kingsbrook Jewish Adult Psychiatric Unit is critically important as a geriatric psychiatric facility, drawing patients from nursing homes in Queens and the Rockaways. The closing comes in the aftermath of a shocking number of nursing home patient deaths in New York City during an ongoing pandemic.

Denial of Care The Statewide Staffing Committee will support us in achieving our ultimate goal of ensuring universal, equitable and safe staffing standards for every patient and nursing home resident in New York. Sign up here: https://www.nysna.org/staffing

tract. Major wins include guaranteed raises for each year of the contract, more sick leave buy back, clear language for weekly overtime, higher employer con-

Black and brown communities would be adversely affected by the closing, as well. Fully 65% of psychiatric discharges at Kingsbrook Jewish in 2018-2019 were among patients of color. The closing exacerbates already sharp disparities in care prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic among Black and brown New Yorkers.

Overall, inpatient mental health services have precipitously declined in metro NYC during the pan-

Vivienne Phillips, RN, and Salina Flores, RN, of Kingsbrook

demic, with closures at New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, to NY-P’s Allen Hospital on Washington Heights, and at Syosset Hospital/Northwell Health on Long Island. The burden of closings often falls on safety net hospitals. But when safety nets like Kingsbrook Jewish close inpatient units, patients most in need are too often stranded without care.

“This is hardly the time to close down adult psychiatric care,” said

NYSNA President Nancy Hagans, RN. “The pandemic weighs heavily on the elderly and on African American and Latinx communities.

Yet those are precisely the most affected by a closure at Kingsbrook Jewish. We embrace other healthcare professionals and healthcare workers, patients and their families, community and religious groups, and elected officials to join the campaign. ‘Keep it Open for Care!’”

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NOVEMBER 2021

Staten Island University Hospital/ Northwell Health Nurses Win New Three-Year Contract

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n August, NYSNA nurses at Staten Island University Hospital/ Northwell Health voted to ratify a new three-year union contract. It includes several

notable gains, including guaranteed raises each year of the contract, expansion of retiree health benefits, and maintenance and improvement of the nurse staffing grid. NYSNA

nurses at SIUH/ Northwell Health look forward to enjoying the gains of their new contract and expanding on the strength and solidarity they have built together.

Save the Date: NYSNA to Host Bargaining Retreat on Dec. 6

J NYSNA Pushes PESH to Provide Equal Protection to Public Sector Nurses

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urrently, only private sector healthcare workers are covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) COVID Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). OSHA does not have jurisdiction over the public sector. However, the NYS Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau (PESH) extends OSHA coverage to public sector workers in the state. PESH is required by

law to implement the ETS within 30 days of OSHA issuing it. It has been four months since then and PESH still has not implemented the ETS for our public sector healthcare workers.

NYSNA is leading an effort to pressure PESH to meet its legal and moral obligation and to protect those who have saved so many during this devastating, ongoing pandemic. In a letter

President Hagans Honored in City & State NY’s Black 100

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ancy Hagans, RN, was elected NYSNA president just a few months ago and is already recognized as a trailblazer in City & State New York’s Black 100! A longtime advocate for New York nurses and healthcare professionals, we’re deeply proud of Hagans’ leadership.

Congratulations Nancy Hagans and to all City & State New York’s honorees. https://www.cityandstateny.com/power-lists/2021/10/power-diversityblack-100-2021/186102/#nancy-hagans

[link to: http://d3ovkdufrefcl9. cloudfront.net/covidRelated/202110-21COVIDetsJointLtrPESH. pdf], NYSNA brought together unions that represent public sector healthcare workers throughout the state to alert statewide elected officials, OSHA and the media about this dangerous injustice. We will continue the fight until ALL healthcare workers have equal protection under the law.

oin NYSNA for an online bargaining retreat on Dec. 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This event is part of a broader strategic planning process and will include training courses, regional breakouts, and LBU-specific strategic planning meetings. This session is for all Executive Committee/ Bargaining Committee members, especially those whose contracts expire in 2022. This online session enables all LBUs to join.

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NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

NYSNA Members at Montefiore Medical Center Remember Shilla Agyiri

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Yusif Adomako, RN, at Memorial tribute to Shilla Agyiri

n the Catholic tradition, All Saints Day is an opportunity to honor those who have died.

The holiday pays homage to people who gave so much but often without fanfare or recognition. While Shilla was not Catholic, the holiday seems to epitomize her because she was indeed a saint to so many. Now, NYSNA members at Montefiore Medical Center are pausing to remember their beloved colleague, Shilla Ama Agyiri.

Shilla Ama Agyiri was first employed at Montefiore Medical Center in 2015. She worked on the oncology unit for 3 years before transferring to the surgical stepdown unit. She later joined the float pool this year before she became ill.

Nursing Practice is considered a science and an art. Shilla very much was

an embodiment of these pillars which was consistently reflected in her duties. Her best was demonstrated through her loyalty to her patients and their families. She was an authentic and transparent nurse any individual would hope and wish for.

Shilla not only provided care for her patients but was also an exceptional team player. She worked tirelessly during busy nights when admissions peaked. She was a leader who was kind and compassionate.

Without judgment, Shilla, displayed empathy to her patients and their families during difficult times.

She Went Out of Her Way When colleagues were faced with distress and life challenges, Shilla would go out of her way to offer hope and show concern. This quality was in her DNA and reflected naturally whenever the need arose.

She went beyond being a colleague and related to everyone on a family level. You could count on Shilla any day and time to be that helping hand who would always be present without hesitation. Her kindheartedness can never be replaced.

Early Detection Is a Game Changer When It Comes to Breast Cancer

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ctober was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time set aside to raise awareness about the disease and support those fighting to overcome the illness and honor those who no longer remain. One of the reasons October is so important is because early detection has been proven to save lives. This month, survivors and advocacy organizations alike are encouraging women and men to learn as much as possible about breast cancer and take steps to care for themselves and others.

Every Day Matters for Survivors While we set aside October, every month matters for breast cancer survivors and those still in the fight of their lives. Relatedly, there are more than 3.1 million breast can-

cer survivors in the U.S., including women still being treated and those who have completed treatment.

Many NYSNA members sit at the intersection of being female and being health care workers. Health care workers are on the frontlines of treating patients with a variety of illnesses, including breast cancer.

But women are disproportionately impacted by breast cancer. Given our uniqueness as women and health care workers, we thought it important to highlight key facts about this treatable illness. Early detection is one of the most important things a person can do to fight breast cancer and improve health outcomes. While October has passed, we can use this moment and this time to be screened for breast cancer and encourage other people to do the same.

The past two years have been hectic as the entire world battles with the dreadful COVID pandemic.

Nurses have been on the frontline to absorb the trauma and uncertainty of the pandemic. Shilla was one of these nurses even during a crucial time when she carried her baby in her womb. Her love for the profession never depreciated as the task of caring for her patients was her priority.

A Great Colleague It is with great sorrow and hurt that we announce that we have lost our dear sister to the very thing she worked so hard in providing care as a nurse. We have indeed lost a great sister and colleague and our hearts bleed in tears. We will forever miss her presence and all the smiles it came with. We honor Shilla as a heroine and salute her for her bravery and unwavering commitment to the nursing profession.

“Shilla, we give you a white rose to symbolize our appreciation for the privilege and honor of being our sister and colleague. Until we meet again, rest in peace.”

Here are the top things about breast cancer you should remember: ● Breast cancer is the most common

cancer among women, after skin cancer. ● Breast cancer is the second leading

cause of death among women after lung cancer. ● Men can get breast cancer. ● Although it is prevalent among

women, it impacts us differently. ● Non-Hispanic Black women have

higher incidence rates than nonHispanic white women under age 40. ● Black women have a higher

mortality rate upon contracting breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group. ● Between 2010 and 2016, half

of the women diagnosed with breast cancer were 62 years old or younger. ● Breast cancer incidence and

death increase with age until a person reaches 70 and then rates decrease.

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NOVEMBER 2021

This Native American Heritage Month, Sit with Uncomfortable Truths

By Jennifer R. Farmer

N

ovember is National American Indian Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

What started out as a day to commemorate Native Americans eventually became a month thanks to U.S. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega and other members of the Indigenous community. While some may question the efficacy of heritage months, they are an opportunity to increase dialogue, understanding and knowledge about cultures other than our own.

This month, as we celebrate the rich cultural traditions of this community, we should also acknowledge the harms done to First Nations people. It is rarely pleasant to peer into the past and process painful periods in our nation’s past.

Yet, without a firm understanding of history, we will not be able to bridge divides and heal harm.

Historical Trauma While elders and scholars offer graphic depictions of the attempted genocide of First Nations people, the persecution of this community is ongoing. And the aftereffects of historical trauma experienced by Indigenous people, linger today.

For instance, many Native communities continue to be confronted with land grabs, health disparities, the degradation of water sources and the environment, and the exploitation of women and girls.

On the latter point, the exploitation of Indigenous women and girls exists amid a vacuum of media coverage and without national outrage. In fact, it wasn’t until the wall-to-wall media coverage of Gabby Petito’s disappearance and death, that many non-Native people began to question disparities in

media coverage when the victim is a person of color. To be clear, no one deserves to be snatched from their family, violated, and killed. Petito is a victim. Many in the media are not. In Wyoming, where Petito was found, more than 700 Indigenous women and girls have gone missing, and their cases have received little to no attention. They are not alone. In fact, the red dress movement has attempted to tell the story of the many murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.

What You Can Do So, while we should use this moment to learn about First Nations people, we should also acknowledge the many things that could be done to support and shore up this community. For instance, the recently uncovered remains of 1,300 First Nations students on the site of Canada’s boarding schools, have reopened painful wounds.

Efforts are underway to identify the remains of the murdered children and return them to their families — not just in Canada but in the U.S. which also had Indian boarding schools.

In Carlisle, Pennsylvania, efforts have been underway since 2016 to return the remains of Native children to their proper resting places. Carlisle was home to the first off-reservation Indian boarding school in the U.S. — Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Today, it’s an army barracks, home to the U.S. Army War College for senior officers. But from 1879 to 1918, it housed Native students from tribes across America, with the express purpose of assimilating them into American culture.

This harrowing history demands a public reckoning, and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, has announced a Federal Indian

Student Loan Forgiveness CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

charge, however. It would allow persons who work in public service to be eligible for student loan forgiveness. Employers would qualify nurses for the program, and it would apply to registered nurses as

well as nurse practitioners.

Citing research from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and College Scorecard, the online publication noted that “Graduate nursing students expect to finish school with a median debt between $40,000 and

Boarding School Initiative to review “the troubled legacy of federal boarding school policies.”

Other individuals are taking meaningful steps to process the trauma of Indian Boarding Schools. In a podcast I host for United Methodist Women, Carol Lakota Eastin, an ordained elder in the Methodist Church, shared with me that one of the ways she held sacred space for the children killed at Indian boarding schools was to place a pair of children’s moccasins along with a pair of European shoes on the steps to her house. Both pairs symbolized the two worlds Indigenous children at Indian boarding schools needed to walk in. She said the gesture allowed for dialogue with her neighbors and friends.

This month, and every month, we should celebrate the rich cultural traditions of this community, but also acknowledge the harms done to First Nations people.

We Can All Contribute It’s easy to say that what happened to Indigenous people happened years ago and we should just move on. But historical practices have led to generational trauma that manifests in high suicide rates, depression, lose of generational wealth and fewer prospects for gaining it, and other challenges faced by American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Historical trauma, defined by Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart as “cumulative emotional and psychological wounding across generations, including the lifespan, which emanates from massive group trauma,” hurts.

As we mark this moment, we should each assess what we can do to help, understanding that big or small, we can all contribute in some way. Personally, I am questioning how to repair wounds I have caused by my silence, refusal to see what is in plain sight, and ignorance. I hope you will join me on this journey and do the same. $54,999.” They went on to note that “MSN students can expect to owe much more if they attend a top-tier institution. For example, students in Duke University’s MSN program finish school with an average debt of $74,781. At Johns Hopkins University, average MSN debt is $80,545.”

SOURCES https://www.scientificamerican.com/ article/canadas-residential-schoolswere-a-horror/

FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit https://studentaid.gov/manageloans/forgiveness-cancellation/publicservice.

NEW YORK NURSE NOVEMBER 2021

131 West 33rd Street, 4th Floor New York, NY 10001

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The Impact of the Great Resignation on Healthcare But morep.than Workers, 2 any of this, the nar- lematic. COVID-19 then, was the rative that healthcare workers are proverbial straw that broke the opting to leave the profession before camel’s back. It was the catalyst complying with vaccine mandates for change that many had already has not been situated inside of the been contemplating. broader history of what is happenWorkers Need More ing in the labor movement nationNotwithstanding these issues, ally. COVID-19 has impacted not younger workers including GenZs only healthcare workers, but all and Millenials are opting to leave workers. The nation is witnessing a great resignation, or mass exodus of employers who do not offer extenworkers, that has touched industries sive PTO, quality health insurance and good pay, in search of those from coast to coast. that do. Workers are becoming Impacts of the Great Resignation increasingly aware of their unique Prepare to Bargain, p. 3 Once characterized by signs on offerings and are demanding more retail shops with managers notfrom employers than a weekly or ing some variation of “sorry no bi-weekly paycheck.

Non-Profit US Postage Paid NYSNA