Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates

07/18/2025

💬 “Looking around the room, seeing their faces as they realized how many of their colleagues shared their history made me sick to my stomach.” – Betty Long, MHA, RN

📰 Thank you to Daily Nurse, for spotlighting and bringing more awareness to our campaign to end the epidemic of violence against nurses.

Too many nurses have been assaulted, threatened, or traumatized on the job, and it’s been tolerated for far too long. It’s not “part of the job.” It’s a public health emergency.

🚨 It’s time for federal action.
📢 Join the movement: ProtectOurNurses.com
📖 Read the article: https://bit.ly/GnDailyNurse

07/18/2025

🩺🌊 Taking a well-earned break on Long Island!

Guardian Nurses Damali Stansbury, MSW, LMSW, and Nicole Botta, BSN, RN, recently stepped in to support a RWDSU-UFCW Local 338 member facing serious medical challenges and financial stress.

With compassion and expertise, they helped connect the member to critical financial resources while navigating a complex healthcare situation, a true example of whole-person care in action. 💙

Now, they're catching their breath and recharging because caregivers need care, too. Thank you, Damali and Nicole, for your incredible work and dedication!

07/11/2025

Nurses are 5x more likely than you are to face violence at work. We took that message straight to Congress on June 3.

Guardian Nurses’ Founder & CEO Betty Long, MHA, RN, and a powerhouse team of some of our nurse advocates, met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to demand passage of H.R. 3178—the Save Healthcare Workers Act. The bipartisan bill would make it a federal crime to assault hospital employees, finally giving nurses the protection they deserve.

“Nurses show up for patients every day,” says Long. “It’s time for lawmakers to show up for nurses.”

📖 Read the full story: https://bit.ly/GN-CapHill
🖊️ Join 1,300+ others and sign the petition: https://bit.ly/GN-ProtectOurNurses

07/11/2025

“I'm a nurse. I'm not security. I'm not bulletproof.”

Here, one of our dedicated nurses, Annissa Hensley, shares what too many healthcare workers have come to accept as part of the job: being hit, spit on, threatened — even having to confront someone with a gun.

This is not part of the job.
This is not acceptable.
This is not what any nurse signed up for.

She’s learned de-escalation. She’s learned physical safety techniques. But she’s clear, violence has no place in healthcare. Not verbal. Not physical. Not emotional.

🎥 Watch her powerful story. Then share it. Talk about it. Demand change.

Sign our petition here: Protectournurses.org

07/02/2025

“No backup. No security. Just me.”

For nearly 18 years — most of them in the ER — Guardian Nurse Samantha Salerno, BSN, RN, has faced violence on the job that no one should ever have to endure.

💬 “I’ve been kicked, hurt, pushed, spit on… cornered by a much bigger patient with no way out. That should never be part of our job.”

And yet, for so many nurses like Samantha, it is.

🛑 Enough is enough. Nurses show up in your worst moments. Now it’s time to show up for them.

🖊️ Sign our petition to demand real protections for nurses against workplace violence: https://bit.ly/GN-ProtectOurNurses

07/02/2025

When Crystal Chuck faced cancer for the second time, she wasn’t alone. Jennifer Prater, MSN, RN, CCRN, of Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates, was by her side every step of the way.

In this powerful feature from WHYY’s You Oughta Know, we spotlight Guardian Nurses’ mission: helping patients navigate a complex healthcare system with the compassionate guidance of an experienced nurse advocate. Prater, a critical care nurse with years of clinical experience, shows how personalized advocacy can ease anxiety, improve outcomes, and bring peace of mind during a medical crisis.

Watch the full feature here: https://bit.ly/GN-YOK

06/20/2025

😵‍💫Feeling overwhelmed by digital chaos? You're not alone.

Our latest issue of The Flame is here to help you hit the reset button: Clean Sweep, Decluttering Your Digital Life 🧹

From overflowing inboxes to screen-induced stress, we’re sharing realistic tips to help you take control of your digital space—and your peace of mind.

📱 Declutter your phone
📥 Organize your email
💻 Simplify your screens
🌙 Wind down with tech-free evenings

Start small. Feel lighter. Reclaim your focus.
Read now 👉

Welcome to the Digital Declutter issue of The Flame. If your inbox or smart phone looks anything like mine—hundreds of emails, both read and unread, waiting to be addressed and apps you forgot existed—then this issue of The Flame is for you! We are tackling that digital declutter in the hopes of...

06/20/2025

💬 “I’ve been physically assaulted, sexually groped, attacked by prisoners. My life — and even my unborn children’s lives — have been threatened.”

Crystal Santoro is more than a nurse. She’s also a sister, daughter, wife, mother, and friend. In this deeply emotional video, Crystal bravely shares what far too many nurses endure: violence at work.

🛑 This should never be part of the job. This should never be normalized.
📢 This is why we’re calling for urgent action.

🖊️ Stand with Crystal. Sign the petition to demand safety for nurses everywhere: https://bit.ly/GN-ProtectOurNurses

✨ “When you think of the people you love — and how you’d protect them — protect your nurse the same way.”

06/14/2025

Healthcare is a source of fear, rejection, and harm for many in the LGBTQ+ community. Over half of LGBTQ+ individuals have faced it, and that number climbs to 70% for transgender people. Even more alarming, 1 in 5 trans individuals have been denied care simply because of their gender identity.

The consequences are devastating; discrimination drives up rates of depression, anxiety, and su***de. It leads people to avoid doctors altogether, leaving medical issues untreated and health outcomes worse. Life expectancy suffers.

Support exists. Organizations like www.glma.org/ , www.thetrevorproject.org/, and www.hrc.org/ offer vital resources and advocacy.

For allies, support can be learning about and supporting inclusive policies, and speaking up when you see discrimination. Because healthcare should heal, not harm. 💙

06/13/2025

“I’ve been grabbed, spit on, and shoved against a wall,” says Jennifer Kenny, BSN RN, one of our incredible Guardian Nurses. “This needs to stop.” Violence is not part of a nurses’ job. It should never be.

But Jennifer’s story isn’t rare, and that’s the problem. Nurses across the country are facing rising levels of workplace violence.

📢 That’s why we’re raising our voices and calling for change.
📄 Sign the petition to demand better protections for nurses: https://bit.ly/GN-ProtectOurNurses

06/05/2025

Thank you Rep. Madeleine Dean for co-sponsoring H.R. 3178, the Save Healthcare Workers Act, with Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) to create legal penalties for individuals who knowingly and intentionally assault hospital employees. This bipartisan legislation mirrors current protections for aircraft and airport workers like flight crews and attendants.
Rep. Dean has been a consistent supporter of nurses, both when she was a PA Representative and now as a federal Congresswoman.
Guardian Nurses and American Organization for Nursing Leadership were on Capitol Hill this week advocating for the bill.

06/04/2025

Shout-out to Monica Nash, BSN, RN & Lori Rivkin, BSN, RN, from our “A” Team (A is for Advocacy!) who hit the road to join one of our long-time clients, Merakey, at their annual employee event at Kalahari Pocono Resort!

They were thrilled to meet face—to—face the many employees they’ve supported over the years. The turnout was incredible, with nonstop conversations, thoughtful questions, and meaningful moments with some truly amazing people! Thank you to Merakey for having us!