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Join the Center's "ER" Sponsors Campaign March 3, 2005 -- The Center's "ER" sponsors campaign moves into phase 2 today, as we ask our supporters to start contacting major corporations to ask them to stop advertising on "ER" until the show ends its damaging handmaiden portrayal of nursing. Click here to take action now. Why is this campaign important? It is important to join this campaign because research shows that school kids get their strongest impression of nursing from "ER" and they think nursing is a lowly technical job--just as "ER" portrays nursing to be. People think "ER" is real, but they have physician characters doing the work nurses do in real life (defibrillation, triage, patient education, emotional support, discharge planning, medication administration and supervising nurses). Since "ER" has basically refused to listen to nurses' concerns for the last three years, we need the sponsors to help us send the message that "ER" is spreading damaging misinformation about nursing. When the public thinks nursing has little value, decision-makers are unlikely to fund nursing clinical practice (which is why we have short-staffing), education or research. We need to educate the world about what nurses do to save lives and improve patient outcomes.That begins with "ER," the most influential purveyor of the handmaiden image of nursing. Please join our "ER" sponsors campaign! Thank you. How to proceed: If you would like to learn more about our long-standing "ER" campaign, please go to our "ER" Action Center. Otherwise, let's go! We have been able to get email addresses for five of the 24 corporations. Please click here to email American Express, H&R Block, McDonald's, Sprint and PepsiCo. You can send them our instant letter or one of your own. Step Two: We are starting off with just half of the sponsors this week, so as not to overwhelm you. Next week, we will give you the second half of the sponsor list. Since most corporations tightly guard the email addresses of their executives, we will need to contact most of them by phone, snail mail or fax. We realize that this takes time but our "ER" campaign is our most important campaign ever. FAQ: It's too intimidating to call these executives by phone. Where will I get the chutzpah to do that? A: We do have snail mail and fax options for you below. But reaching decision makers on the telephone is a powerful way to get across your message. Many times, decision makers act based on just 10 phone calls or letters. Be one of those 10. Don't assume others will call or write--we need you. Personal interactions have more power. As nurses, we are first and foremost patient advocates--it drives the rest of our practice. Creating accurate media images of nursing increases public understanding of nursing, which increases funding and staffing for nursing and ultimately improves patient care. We must not let the producers and physicians who write and advise for "ER" continue to paint damaging images of our profession. Our patients are depending on us to build a stronger profession. No one else is going to do it for us--or them. Think of the last patient you had who suffered because nursing was undermined and undervalued, and find the courage we know is in you. We can do it! What to say when you call or write See Part II of our advertiser's campaign What to say when you call (or write): Give people the basics:
If they seem inclined to listen longer, mention:
What does "ER" do that's so inaccurate?
If your last name starts with A-H, please start contacting people at the beginning of the list and work down. If your name starts with J-R, please start with Kellogg's and work down, (then come back and start at the top). If your name starts with S-Z, please start with Merck and work down, (then come back and start at the top). This way, if not everyone is able to do the whole list, we will have spread out our impact. When you have finished, please let us know what you have done. And please don't miss steps 3, 4 and 5 below. Thank you! Advertiser Contact List--Part I
Mr. Joe Eberhardt
Mr. Steven R. Plump
Ms. Diane Backus
Mr. Tom Peyton
Mr. Christopher Loder
Ms. Mary Fran Faraji
Ms. Tracy Appiah Step Three: After you have made your calls and sent your letters, please let us know what you have done so that we can keep track of the impact of your outreach (we will know if you sent the email letter, but nothing else). If no one tells us what she/he did, we will think nothing was done. We need to know how many letters, calls and faxes the campaign generated so we can put that in our next press release. Thank you. Step Four: Please ask your colleagues, nursing organizations, listservs, bulletin boards, friends, and family to join our "ER" campaign. We need the widest possible reach on this campaign, so please help us get the word out. Please send your contacts the first two paragraphs of this page and its URL <www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/er/er_sponsors_1.html>, which explains what the campaign is and why they should join it. Step Five: If you would like to be notified of any tangible results of our campaign, please sign up for our free news alerts. Given our limited resources and technology, we can only contact letter-writers through the news alerts system. Thank you. Thank you very much for your work in creating a more positive image for the nursing profession!! Sandy Summers, RN, MSN, MPH
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The URL for this page is www.truthaboutnursing.org/letters/er/er_sponsors_1.html |