Today, nurses from all over the country are attending the National Nurses March in Washington, D.C., with corresponding events all over the country.
Nurses are gathering to use their collective voice and increase awareness amongst the government and healthcare industries of important matters, including fair wages, safe staffing, and elimination of violence against healthcare workers amongst several others.
The National Nurses March supports two legislation bills focused around better nurse staffing standards (H.R. 3165/S.1567) and workplace violence protection (H.R. 1195).
Valerie Bower wrote in a letter to the Lincoln Journal Star:
"The last few years have been incredibly challenging for our profession. Broadly speaking, we have worked in unsafe conditions doing a job that was mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting, all the while having to combat misinformation and the politicization of a public health crisis. All of this has accelerated burnout to the point that nurses are leaving the bedside, and some even leaving the profession, at alarming rates."
Watch for updates on the National Nurses March Twitter and follow along today with their livestream!
Check out the coverage by ABC Action News and you can also explore a gallery of photos on the event.
Another livestream featuring marchers is available from NurseDeck: