MASSACHUSETTS NURSE NEWSLETTER :: April 2008

Patti LaBelle, multiple Grammy-award winning singer, actress, and best selling author will deliver the keynote address on May 6 during the MNA National Nurses Day celebration.

The special event in honor of nurses and their contributions to quality patient care is free to all nurses and nursing students and will run from 10 a.m. to noon at the Hynes Convention Center, followed by a 1 to 2 p.m. rally on the steps of the Massachusetts Statehouse.

Recognized for her support of social causes, LaBelle has for many years worked tirelessly to raise awareness about AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer and foster care. Her May 6 keynote speech at the Hynes Convention Center, titled “Singing Their Praises: One Woman’s View on the Difference Nurses Make” is a subject LaBelle has intimate knowledge of. As chronicled in her book “Don’t Block the Blessings” LaBelle is all too familiar with the impact of safe patient ratios on the nursing industry. The best-seller was authored by LaBelle following a series of traumatic personal medical events, including the loss of her mother, three sisters and best friend to diabetes and cancer.

A diabetic herself, LaBelle has been proactive in the fight against the disease that claimed her mother’s life. She serves as a spokeswoman for the National Medical Association, the National Minority AIDS Council’s “Live Long, Sugar” campaign and the American Diabetes Association. Her inspirational speeches convey a powerful message of hope for nurses and patients who must work in partnership to fight disease and achieve healing.

Suzanne Gordon, an award-winning journalist and author of seven books on nursing, including “Life Support: Nursing Against the Odds” will also be a featured speaker during the 10 a.m. to noon event. Her book, “Safety in Numbers: Nurse-to-Patient Ratios and the Future of Health Care” is slated for publication by Cornell University Press this month. “Safety in Numbers” is the first book to examine the arguments for and against ratios. During the May 6 MNA National Nurses Day celebration, Gordon will discuss her findings and provide insight into the measures nurses in Massachusetts can take to win their fight for safe patient limits.

A rally for safe patient limits on the steps of the Statehouse will culminate the MNA National Nurses Day celebration. Open to all nurses, nursing students and supporters of nurses, the 1 to 2 p.m. rally will be in support of legislative action on H.2059, the Patient Safety Act.

The MNA will provide bus transportation to this special event from stops throughout the state; however bus seating is limited. To register for the event or to reserve a bus seat, call 888-662-0411 without delay or visit our National Nurses Day Event Page for more information.

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