WASHINGTON, DC, (NAMC) - The American Red Cross and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. ventured into a collaborative relationship today by signing a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement allows the two organizations to share expertise and recruit nurses nationwide to assist the Red Cross with relief operations during disasters.

Ann Cox, executive director for the AAOHN, and Joseph Becker, senior vice president of preparedness and response for the Red Cross, signed the notable document at the American Red Cross national headquarters located in Washington.

"This memorandum allows both the Red Cross and the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses to expand and grow by sharing the respective knowledge that each organization has cultivated. The AAOHN is a principal force in furthering the profession of occupational and environmental health nursing, and the Red Cross looks forward to utilizing that expertise to benefit the communities that we serve," said Mr. Becker.

"AAOHN is pleased to team up with the American Red Cross, an organization that has a 125-year history of providing disaster relief to Americans," said AAOHN President Susan A. Randolph. "This new collaborative relationship will allow our organizations to share expertise and recruit nurses for deployment to Red Cross disaster relief operations during times of disaster. The Red Cross will also be a great resource for AAOHN by sharing disaster and emergency preparedness guidance for the association's disaster planning programs and activities."

Founded in 1942 and with more than 140 chapters across the country, the AAOHN is one of the largest groups of health care professionals serving the workplace with health, safety, productivity and disability management. As part of the pact, the AAOHN has agreed to recruit and provide occupational and environmental health nurses and expertise for the strategic planning that the Red Cross Health Services Advisory Panel performs on a regular basis. Occupational and environmental health nurses blend knowledge of health and business with health care to balance a safe and healthy work environment with a healthy bottom line. The AAOHN is driven by a mission that serves to advance, protect, guide and promote the occupational and environmental health nursing profession.

With the support of the American public, selfless volunteers and partnerships with other agencies and organizations, the Red Cross is better equipped to meet the needs of communities adversely affected by disaster. The new partnership with the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses is another step in the right direction.

  As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, AAOHN has agreed to:


  - Provide occupational and environmental health nursing expertise for the
    strategic planning committee of the American Red Cross Health Services
    Advisory Panel,

  - Provide resources and expertise for telephonic emergency protocols,

  - Encourage speakers at the local and national level, and

  - Recruit occupational and environmental health nurses for the American
    Red Cross through the association's chapters nationwide.

  In turn, the American Red Cross has agreed to:

  - Provide disaster-nursing expertise for AAOHN's emergency
    preparedness/disaster planning programs and activities,

  - Promote training and retention of nurses at the local level and through
    the Disaster Services Human Resources system (AAOHN members must
    successfully complete the training and all Red Cross volunteer
    requirements),

  - Encourage speakers at the local and national level, and

  - Promote manuscript submission to the AAOHN Journal with the intent of
    enhancing the relationship through co-authored articles.

The American Red Cross has helped people mobilize to help their neighbors for 125 years. Last year, victims of a record 72,883 disasters, most of them fires, turned to the nearly 1 million volunteers and 35,000 employees of the Red Cross for help and hope. Through more than 800 locally supported chapters, more than 15 million people each year gain the skills they need to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their homes, communities and world. Almost 4 million people give blood -- the gift of life -- through the Red Cross, making it the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The Red Cross helps thousands of U.S. service members separated from their families by military duty stay connected. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global network of more than 180 national societies, the Red Cross helps restore hope and dignity to the world's most vulnerable people. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.

Established in 1942, AAOHN is a 10,000-member professional association dedicated to advancing the health, safety and productivity of domestic and global workforces by providing education, research, public policy and practice resources for occupational and environmental health nurses. These professionals are the largest group of health care providers serving the worksite.

Contact:
American Red Cross
Public Affairs Desk
202-303-5551

www.redcross.org