Nurses Assess Arnold's Legacy: Threat To Public Health

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 30 Sep 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Major Rally Wed. Sept. 30: Healthcare Advocates to Protest Cutbacks in Healthcare Services, Oversight, and Regulation

Registered nurses from the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee will join thousands of other workers this Wednesday in Los Angeles to protest the policies of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and warn about the ongoing harm that his healthcare policies are causing to the state and its patients.

The nurses note that our healthcare system and regulations have been undermined during the Schwarzenegger term, with a national healthcare crisis compounded by state-specific problems. Beyond Schwarzenegger's unsuccessful efforts to gut the state's safe life-saving nurse-to-patient ratios, his years have been marked by a noted hostility to healthcare issues. Examples include:

- Widespread and unconscionable cuts to public health funding-denying care to millions of patients

- Slashing of the enforcement capacities of the Board of Registered Nursing-the BRN has been raided for $14 million by the Schwarzenegger administration, forcing them to lay off enforcement staff at a time when they are most needed

- Unnecessary furloughs to BRN staff-despite the fact that the BRN is funded by fees, Schwarzenegger has forced furloughs on the staff, further weakening it, and undermining healthcare oversight

"Gov. Schwarzenegger's first term in office was defined by his attempts to force more patients onto nurses. Now as his second term draws to a close, he's turning to cut back on public health, weaken oversight of healthcare, and make it more difficult for nurses to care for our patients. From the point of view of nurses and patients, Gov. Schwarzenegger is worse than a total failure-he is a demonstrated threat to our state's public health," said Geri Jenkins, RN, co-president of CNA/NNOC.

What

Nurses, Patients, and Workers Protest Arnold's Legacy of Total Failure

When

Wednesday Sept. 30, 12:15 p.m.

Where

Outside Hyatt Regency Century City, 2025 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles

Source
California Nurses Association