Nurses Advocate for Patients at DC Health Fair

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Saying that “ Our community is concerned about the patient care crisis in the District’s hospitals,” Donna Lawrence, a nurse at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, joined her fellow NNU nurses who participated in the recent DC Health Fair to educate residents about the connection between nurse staffing and better hospital care. While thousands of patients took advantage of free health care screenings, nurses educated members of the community about the Patient Protection Act, which has been introduced in the DC Council.  Nurses distributed informational flyers and asked participants to sign a petition calling on the DC Council to enact the Patient Protection Act.  The bill would mandate minimum nurse staffing in hospitals, ensure adequate ancillary staff coverage, and protect nurses who speak out on behalf of patients from employer retaliation. “Our patients are always our number one priority,” said Lawrence, “ the DC Council needs to pass the Patient Protection Act so that patients get the care that they deserve.” - Funmi Oshin, a RN at Washington Hospital Center and a member of National Nurses United, educates a health fair participant about the benefits of the Patient Protection Act; photo by Bradley Van Waus