Hello, SPN Members!
Election 2024 – Nurses Vote!
This year’s election is fast approaching! How are you using your voice as a pediatric registered nurse and child health advocate to help shape the outcomes? Although the presidential election has consumed most of the attention in the media, there are congressional, state, and local elections that will have equally important impacts on the health and well-being of pediatric patients and families. In addition to the selection of representatives for federal, state, and local office, there are a wide variety of ballot initiatives up for decision this election season. Several states, including Florida, Arizona, and Nevada, have initiatives on the ballot that would impact reproductive rights in those states. Florida, Nebraska, and North Dakota all have legalization of marijuana on the ballot. California’s ballot includes a proposition that would help to stabilize funding for the state’s Medicaid program through a permanent tax on managed care organizations. These and many other city and county-level ballot initiatives will help to shape health policy and the delivery of healthcare services in our country, so it’s important for you to be aware and involved in the electoral process.
How can you get informed and involved, you might ask? Fortunately, there are some terrific resources available to help give you ideas. The American Nurses Association (ANA) and RNAction maintain the Nurses Vote site, which has voter registration information broken down by state, along with a candidate comparison of the two major presidential candidates on the ANA’s priority issues, including staffing and workplace violence. The American Academy of Pediatrics maintains the Election 2024: Vote Kids website, which similarly provides education and resources about voter registration, including materials that clinicians can use to encourage patients/families to vote. One particularly helpful resource is the Vot-ER campaign, which provides a toolkit for clinicians and facilities interested in increasing civic engagement among the patients and families they serve. As the Nurses Vote site says, “When nurses speak, health care policy changes for the better.” Use your vote as your voice to help improve health and health care in our country – and encourage your colleagues and those you serve to do the same!
Pediatric Nurses Week
It’s time for Pediatric Nurses Week! October 7-11 is the week dedicated to recognizing all of the important contributions pediatric nurses make to supporting the health and well-being of children and families – and we hope you have some fun celebrating along with your colleagues! Be sure to check out the Pediatric Nurses Week page on our website for some downloadable resources and celebration ideas, and be sure to use the hashtags #PNW24 and #ProudPediatricNurse on your social media posts to help us spread the word and celebrate each other!
I hope you’ll also plan to join us for a special Pediatric Nurses Week webinar: The Power of Gratitude. We’re thrilled to welcome speaker Tena Barnes Carraher, co-founder of the DAISY Foundation, for this exciting event – and thanks to the generosity of Baxter, we’re able to provide this webinar free of charge, so help us spread the word among your pediatric nurse friends and colleagues who aren’t SPN members!
New this year: if you’re as excited about our upcoming 35th Annual Conference as I am, I know you’re ready to reserve your seat now! To help you get started with the planning and lock in the best possible deal, we’re opening registration early and offering a special Pediatric Nurses Week discount for the conference (so keep your eyes on our upcoming email communication)! The conference will be held April 30-May 2, 2025, at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. Plan to register early to join us in sunny Southern California for an incredible celebration of SPN’s 35th anniversary and to learn new ideas and best practices from your pediatric nursing colleagues around the country!