By Valerie Nelson
February 19 , 1998

An organization of nurses that exists mainly in cyberspace plans to leap into the three-dimensional world May 1 at rallies across the country against managed care.

The Florence Project, whose headquarters is an Internet address, came into being last September after a group of nurses who debate nursing issues online felt their cause could be furthered by carving out a piece of the World Wide Web they could call their own.

Lia Anderson, RN, a Florence Project regional coordinator for Texas, remembers members’ reacting to the latest round of heated discussion by saying, "Instead of just sitting around rehashing, why don’t we try to see what we can do?" That was the birth of the Florence Project.

The group is adding about five new members a day, with a national membership of 382 at last count, said Cindi Swisher, RN, the Florence Project’s secretary, who works in Hawaii. Texas has the most members, with about 25. A total of 46 states are represented.

These numbers might sound small. But the number of nurses who join the group is smaller than the number who visit the Internet site and support the cause, Swisher said. If nurses keep joining at the same pace, membership should reach 1,000 by October, she said. Membership is free, but donations are accepted.

Demonstrating their dedication

The May demonstrations, still in the early stages of planning, are one way the group is trying to extend its reach beyond the Internet. The rallies will be a way for the Florence Project to establish in the public’s mind its role as an advocate for quality health care, said Peter Ramme, RN, the group’s treasurer and regional coordinator for California. And the publicity will help more nurses find the group.

As stated on the Florence Project Web site, the purpose of the demonstrations "is to educate the public regarding the unsafe practices that are so prevalent in health care today." Members intend to spread the word about what they say are decreasing nurse-to-patient ratios and the greater use of unlicensed assistive personnel. The group thinks it’s necessary to develop a nonprofit national healthcare program that will make health care accessible to everyone.

The demonstrations will be tailored to each locality. "We won’t reject innovation for the general cause of passing on the message to the public," Ramme said.

In Texas, "the focus is to try to educate the public on the problems with managed care and health care and let people know that there are healthcare crises that need to be addressed," Anderson said. Because Texas is so spread out, organizers have yet to determine where a rally would be most effective.

Reaching the off-line population

Besides the May 1 demonstrations, the group is planning to reach out to nurses who don’t regularly surf the Net by canvassing campuses and handing out pamphlets. Welcome packets have been put together for nurses who join, and newsletters will be sent to those who don’t have access to the Internet, Swisher said.

But it is the reach of the Web that is fueling the group’s efforts. "I don’t think we would have gotten this many nurses as passionate about a subject in one spot without the Internet," Swisher said.

Regional Florence Project WEB SITES

Hawaii
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania

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