June 13, 1989, NIH Record, Vol. XLI, No. 12

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June 13, 1989, NIH Record, Vol. XLI, No. 12 June 13, 1989 Vol. XU No. 12 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health e The Director's Legacy Wyngaarden Steers NIH Away from Reefs of Adversity, Mediocrity By Rich McManus For example, we have far beccer relations with Second of two-part Jeries Congress than with the administration. As long as I have been here, there have been only Many of NIH director Dr. James B. two exceptions co a hold-the-line budget men­ Wyngaarden's biggest battles during his tality. AIDS is one, and chat. was imposed by 7 ½-year tenure fell into the category of "cry­ an epidemic. The ocher is the human genome ing to prevent adverse things from initiative." happening." At the root of many of these Clearly impatient with the bureaucracy, struggles is NJH's idenricy: ls it che crown Wyngaarden said it often seems as though jewel of federal intellectual enterprise or just "the chief function of all who hold positions another government agencyJ above me in che deparcmenc is co say no." "I don't chink intramural NIH can prosper Frustrations and all, however, he is happy if it is treated like any ocher government co have been director. bureaucracy," Wyngaarden said. "NIH is the 'Tm very pleased to be here," he said. "l one shining exception co the blatant medi­ don't regret it for an instant. It has been a ocrity of mosc federal laboratories. very positive experience bur ic takes its coll. "We have cried co operate as much like a The pressure is relentless and you have co university as we can," he continued. "You develop a chick hide." tend noc co find as much federal bureaucracy Wyngaarden says he has known for che past n:iindset here." NIH director Dr. James B. Wyngaarden, who year that che job was wearing him down. Being different has ics disadvantages, he will resign thiJ Jummer, once paraphrased baJeba/1 "I knew chat I wanted a less pressure allowed. player Yogi Berra in characterizing hiJ poJition: packed life from day co day," he said. "Seven "We're not looked upon as team players, ''Directing NIH iJ 90 percent damage control and and in many ways char perception is correct. the other half iJ budget. " <See DIRECTOR, Page 6J Workplace Safe, Streets Deadly Back on Track NIH Points Workforce NIH Nursing Growing Strong in Wake of Shortage Toward AIDS Compassion By Carla Garnett Ignorance about HIV, the cause of AIDS, is currently outracing che vi rus icself as a source The nursing shortage is no longer news. "we now see three or four applicants (per posi­ of calamity for health officials in che Disrrict National from-page headlines of 1986 have tion). We can pick and choose. Ic's very of Columbia, said Dr. Reed V. Tuckson, city become local, page-three stories. By now, encouraging. health commissioner, at a recent NIH pro­ almost everyone knows of che major decline in Simply put, more nurses are applying here gram on "What co Do When a Coworker Has the ranks of nursing char affected almost every and fewer are leaving once they've been hired. AIDS." health care facility nationwide and was caused Why? J use one of a number of sexually transmit­ in pare by the public's misconceived image of "We know we have something very special ted diseases chat are "skyrocketing" at the the profession. co offer the patients ac the Clinical Center," moment in Washington, AIDS is also spread­ Wirh rhe recent celebration of National said McKeon. "We are a strong ceam that has ing faster as crack sales boost a sex-for-drugs Nursing Week, however, an important story a sense of professional esteem." subculture in the city. still lingers untold in NIH's book: What is The importance of professional esteem in "The crack epidemic is accompanied by a the state of nursing at NJH? nursing cannot be overemphasized. Lase year great deal of sexual behavior," said Tuckson, a According co Kathryn McKeon, the Clinical at chis rime, nurses responding co a national D.C. native who got his undergraduate degree Center's acting associate director for nursing, poll distributed as pare of che NIH recruit­ at Howard University and an M. D. from NIH nursing is back on crack, going strong. ment campaign stressed two areas chat could Georgetown University. "Many, many young "We still have some hard-to-recruit areas," be improved in order co accract and keep more women are selling their bodies in the culture she said. "Bur our advertising and all our nurses- greater independence in patient care of drug abuse. recruitment and retention efforts have paid off. and more opportunity co make decisions. "Women don't have signs on chem saying, Basically we have a high qua! icy staff." Through its research mission, NIH neces­ Tm pare of che drug/sex subculture,' (and There are numbers co prove her sracemenc. sarily strengthens the role its nurses play on therefore may have AIDS)" he said. "This Employee turnover in the nursing department rhc health care ream. virus is everywhere. Many who have it don't is down 12 percent this spring- from 25 per­ "NIH nurses have respect and autonomy in know chey have ir. You don't know. You cent a >•ear ago to 13 percent now. practice," acknowledged McKeon. "We have a don't know. You don't know." McKeon also sees more applications arriving higher level of collaboration wich phys'icians." And no one knows they don't know becrer for staff positions as yet unfilled. In order for the attitude adjustment chat is "Where before we'd have maybe one or cwo required in successful nurse retention co be (See AIDS, Page 21 people applying for a job here," she explained, (See NURSING, Page 4 ) pogc 2 TheRecord June 13, 1989 AIDS AIDS. We have co embrace that attitude, facilitate ir and be a part of it." (Continued from Page JJ ln order to remedy the ignorance surround­ than rhe commissioner, who couocs 2,854 ing acquisition of AIDS in Washington's AIDS cases in the District, 1,630 of which poorer neighborhoods. Tuckson addresses have resulted in death. youngsters in schools, using the frank lan­ "I am particularly concerned in our area guage of the streets to get his life-or-death with rhe sex partners of incravenous drug message across. abusers," he said. "Everyone here ac NIH ''This vi rus doesn't care who it attacks. You knows you've gar to g o out of your way to get as an individual muse care." H e recommended this virus and that there's almost no way you that new sexual partners use condoms always, can ger it ar work. Unfortunately there are a until che.y learn for cerrain that each is virus­ tor of people who do go out of their way. " free. Tuckson, who has taken care of Clinical Also speaking on the panel, cosponsored by the Employee Counseling Service, OMS, and Center patients during rotations here during Dr. Attal/ah Kappas ( l), profemr and physfrian­ medical school, said NIH has a special obliga­ the CC's educational services office, were three in-chief at R.ockefeller University Hospital in New tion to sec high standards both for research on working people who are living with AIDS and York City, received the first annual Award for AIDS and treatment of those living with being treated at NIH. All reported positive Excellence in Clinical Re.search from the DRR Gen­ AIDS. eral Clinical Research Centers (GCRC) Program Recounting a public relations disaster char "AIDS is an isstte we're all going to face for his work in developing ti11-protoporphyri,1 and a occurred several years ago when D.C. police derivative, tin-mesoporphyrin, as a safe and effec­ wore rubber g loves while arresring AIDS in the next several years. All of us are des­ tive potential treatment for severe jaundice in protesters- heightening a we-vs. -them men­ tined to know someone who has it." newborn.r . Dr. Katherine Bick, NIH deputy direc­ tal ity- Tuckson said NIH represents "law and -Dr. David Henderson tor for extramural research, presented the $5,000 order·• in the medical world and thus has a cc cash prize at the recent a111111al meeting of the unique obligation to be antidiscriminatory and American Society for Clinical ln11eJtigatio11. The compassionate. · changes in their lives once they disclosed their award was made available to the GCRC program "This is the Mecca of clinical medicine," he illness co family and friends. by an a,wny,nom donor to reward 011tsta11di11g said. "NIH has a high standard of conduct co Giving advice to those who may face a uphold." dinical research at a ORR-supported GCRC. coworker with AJDS, one panelist said, "Try Tuckson said rhar AJDS will define the co treat them like you always treat them, no civilization of the l980's and 1990's ("and better or worse. If you didn't like them before hopefully not the 2000's, if people around you found ouc about their disease, then still here do their jobs") just as surely as civil don't like them. You don't become a saint or rights and Vietnam did the l960's and a sinner just because of HIV infection." l970's. Said another of the workers, "You just want The NIH Record co feel normal." Published biweekly at Bethe;da, Md., by the Editorial "Try to treat (a coworker with AIDS) According to Dr. David Henderson, associ­ Operations Branch, Division of Public Information, for the like you always treat them, no better or ate d irector for quality assurance and hospital information of employees of the National Institutes of W(}rse.
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