FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2005
CONTACT:
Kelly Heekin, Health Care Without Harm, 510-848-5343
Joan Hurwitz, American Nurses Association, 301-628-5020
Pat Adams, Univ. of Maryland School of Nursing, 410-706-4115
New Project to Spotlight Nurse Environmental Heroes
Luminary Project creates the first-ever online forum for
nurses to share victories, tools for environmental healing
April 29, 2005- National Nurses Week 2005 (May 6-12) marks the launch of the Luminary Project, the first-ever Web-based tool to promote the work of nurses who are advocating for safe hospitals, clean communities, and children born without toxic chemicals in their bodies. The project - jointly sponsored by Health Care Without Harm, the University of Maryland School of Nursing and the American Nurses Association, with support from the Beldon Fund - kicks off May 6 with the launch of an interactive Web site highlighting nurses across the country who are working to improve our health and the environment. All nurses engaged in this important work are encouraged to access the site as a resource and to add their own stories to the site.
"Nurses are natural catalysts. We are constantly solving problems and improving our practice. But we almost never take the chance to be recognized. The Luminary Project lets us do that in a way that inspires others to build on our collective experiences," said Barbara Sattler, RN, DrPH, FAAN, Director of the Environmental Health Education Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
"Nurses are powerful. When we act alone, we get things done. But when we act together, our influence is greatly magnified," added Anna Gilmore Hall, RN, executive director of Health Care Without Harm. "The Luminary Project shines the light on nurses who are quietly but brilliantly improving the health of their patients, their communities, and the environment in order to magnify their influence and effect lasting change."
"From eliminating mercury to improving the quality of indoor air, reducing waste to educating other nurses about the links between health and our environment, luminary nurses' efforts are marked by their diversity and creativity. In inventive and strategic ways, these nurses are lighting the way to a healthier world," said Barbara Blakeney, MS, RN, President of the American Nurses Association.
Many organizations support and endorse this project, including: the Alabama State Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing, Karen Bowman and Associates, Maryland Nurses Association, National Nursing Centers Consortium, Public Health Nursing Section of the American Public Health Association, and the Quad Council of Public Health Nursing Organizations, among others.
Read stories of luminaries across the country who are brilliantly lighting the way toward safe hospitals, clean communities, and a healthy environment at www.TheLuminaryProject.org.
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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.7 million Registered Nurses (RNs) through its 54 constituent member associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.