Nurses give care and compassion
This week (May 6-11) the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center honors the dedicated men and women we in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) consider to be the compassionate backbone of the veteransí health care system ń our nurses.
The theme of National Nurses Week 2011 is ěNurses: Trusted to Care,î and no one puts more passion into the health care profession than VA nurses. VA is the nationís largest single employer of nurses, and VA nurses lead their profession in education and training, clinical responsibility and research. But their passion comes from VAís mission ó caring for our veterans.
VA nurses are integral and equal members of our health care team of professionals. No health care professional is closer to the veterans we care for than a VA nurse. Our patients rely on them for their compassion and the VA relies on them for setting the highest clinical care standards. That reliance is well placed. VAís recognition as a leader in health care, patient safety and research is due in large part to its nurses.
I am deeply proud to be associated with the nurses who serve veterans at the Hefner VA Medical Center in Salisbury, our outpatient clinics in Charlotte, Hickory and Winston-Salem, and of all of our nationís 2.9 million registered nurses who work tirelessly to keep us well and save lives around the clock every day.
ó Paul M. Russo
Salisbury
Russo is director of the Hefner VA Medical Center.
Not tax money
Just so the citizens of Rowan County understand, the monies that they are taking from the NC Health & Wellness Trust Fund to balance the state budget were set aside from the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. This Tobacco Trust Fund money was supposed to be used to educate young people in the state on the dangers of tobacco use and to help farmers change from growing tobacco to a different product.
This money does not come from N.C. taxpayers. It is vital you contact your senator and Governor Perdue so this money can be used for what it was intended for.
Governor Perdue:1 800-662-7952
ó Scotty Greene
Mount Ulla