EDER'S GAY-OK

I am writing in support of John Eder’s endorsement by the MLGPA (“Greens enter the fray,” September 6). I was the Youth Co-President of the Board of Directors of Outright for two years, and currently am a member of the Southern Maine Pride Committee. I s·y this not as an official endorsement from those organizations, but to show my credentials as an active member of the Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender/Questioning (GLBTQ) community.

I have had the pleasure of working with John for two years, providing support and advocacy for adults with developmental disabilities. There I was able to see his combination of compassion, sensitivity, and sense of justice make him a very strong advocate for the population that we were working with. John consistently sought to understand the challenges that the clients that we worked with faced. When he did identify ways of improving the quality of life of those we worked with, he struggled hard, frequently against strong bureaucratic opposition, simply because it was the right thing to do.

I have had many long conversations with John regarding GLBTQ issues, and believe that he has the same commitment and ability to be a very powerful advocate for the GLBTQ community in the Maine Legislature. While John’s opponent also has strong skills as an advocate for the GLBTQ community, there are several differences that I believe make John the better choice for Representative of District 31.

The first is that John’s understanding of the interconnectedness of all the various types of oppression will make him an equally strong advocate for all the many diverse facets of our community that we often marginalize, including bisexuals, youth, and those who identify as transgender and intersex. I also believe that John’s personal presentation and method of getting work done is incredibly effective, while at the same time non-confrontational. I have frequently seen him go up against vehement opposition to his ideas, acting with grace and tact — so that not only does he help win that one issue, he usually ends up making strong allies out of former opponents.

Please join me in supporting John Eder for Representative of District 31.

Kyle Bouchard

Portland

JOIN THE NURSES

“Code Blue” by Jess Kilby (September 6) was a thoughtful description of the issues faced by nurses today. It was refreshing to read something which laid out the problems and yet highlighted the many people working diligently to address the issue. We need to acknowledge the difficulties nurses face and to go forward. The initiatives at University of New England (UNE) or University of Southern Maine (USM) are the kind of programs we will need if we are to meet the health care challenges ahead of us. We need to address the workplace issues described in “Code Blue.” The general public will benefit from reading the article and the Phoenix has done an important service to describe what nursing is like nowadays.

Like the nurses in the article, I love nursing. At the end of the work day I can say that I have alleviated human suffering. How many other occupations can say that? My inner self image is one where I have set out to be kind and caring, and I get to live this out in real life. Most nurses took up this career with equally high ideals, yet now we discover that we are caught up in the insurance implosion and the crisis in health-care reimbursement and funding.

The Maine Legislature was not able to fund a bill to address nursing shortage issues last year, and this coming session is likely to be one in which the health system undergoes a “redesign-by-default” through the means of budget cutting. If the small businesses and the uninsured can form coalitions to lobby the Legislature, why can’t nurses?

Health systems need good people — health care will remain labor intensive. Nurses are essential to the delivery of cost-effective and quality health care. The general public needs to know this. There is ample research to demonstrate the value of the role that nurses play to keep costs down in the health system.

There already is a group set up specifically to carry out this grassroots style of community-building. ANA-Maine is our state’s branch of the American Nurses Association (ANA). We meet next on Saturday, October 5, at Verillo’s in Portland. We invite all RNs in the state to attend this meeting as we begin this dialogue. This will be a chance to start building a new sense of community for nurses in Greater Portland, and indeed, for the whole state. The correspondent from the Phoenix is welcome to cover our meeting. We will set a course to support the kind of thoughtful work being amply demonstrated by Dr. Kirshling at USM and Dr. Dyer at UNE, and we will plan a way to improve all the workplace issues as well. We will also build some strategies to follow through with the needed legislative work, and re-establish communication. To register visit our website at www.anamaine.org or call 667 0260 or email josephn@acadia.net

Joe Niemczura, RN, MS

President, ANA-Maine

PLENTY O' NURSES

Your recent front-page article entitled “Code Blue” (September 6) detailing the current nurse-staffing situation in Maine hospitals was very well researched and written. The article, by Jess Kilby, detailed the current problem of attracting and retaining nurses as patient loads increase and resources are decreased by hospitals and HMOs.

We would like to make one correction to your report. There is no shortage of nurses in Maine. There are more than 20,000 licensed nurses in the state, certainly enough to meet current and future staffing needs. There is, however, a nursing crisis in Maine. That’s a significant difference. The crisis has been brought about because many nurses are working in non-nursing professions. According to a federal study, Maine has more nurses working in other jobs than any other New England state.

This has come about because of Maine hospitals’ refusal to institute minimum-staffing levels for nurses. The Maine State Nurses Association proposed legislation during the last legislative session to address this problem. As a compromise, we agreed to allow the Department of Human Services to work on new staffing rules. Unfortunately, while the new rules are a start, they do not address the most important issue, nurse staffing levels.

As MSNA, we believe it is important to understand why nurses are leaving the profession, creating the current crisis. Hospitals, HMOs, and others involved in health-care management have reduced nurse-staffing levels to a point where many nurses no longer believe they can safely, effectively take care of their patients.

Again, there is not a shortage of qualified nurses in Maine, there is a crisis of nurses at the bedside brought about by the refusal of hospital administrators to provide adequate staffing levels.

Patricia S. Philbrook, RNC, NP

Executive Director, Maine State Nurses Association

NO CASINO, NO

I have been following this casino matter both pro and con for some time (“Postcard from Wells,” April 4, or “Politics and Other Mistakes,” April 25).

Before any decision is made or even considered, every voter should read the book Without Reservation, written by Jeff Benedict and published by HarperCollins in 2000.

This covers, in minute detail, the Foxwoods operation from its inception to its completion and operation. In addition to every voter, it should be absolute required reading for every public official whether they be local, county, or state.

Another thing of particular notice, is that not one member of the state-appointed panel is from York County, where the action seems to be centered. This would appear to be deck-stacking in its most basic form. The only thing they forgot was to add Tom Tureen to the panel.

Another matter that appears to be lacking is any input from the environmental groups. Surely, an operation the size of Foxwoods, which is planned, would create a tremendous impact on all they are striving to save and improve.

Thomas C. Howard

Old Orchard Beach