Welcome back and thank you for being a part of the Lo Down! In this episode, we meet with long-time registered nurses Susie York and Alyssa Dulong who work right here in San Jose at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. We speak with them about the people and experiences that inspired them into their profession, their appreciation for and challenges of working in Silicon Valley, and the importance of being in a union. Alyssa and Susie describe their spectrum of emotions and experiences related to unionizing, striking, and negotiating, as well as  the day-to-day roller-coaster of the type of work they do. They also highlight the reality of the career of nursing- specifically during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic which included a shortage of staff, resources, space, time, and basic safety equipment.

Here at the Lo Down, we were shocked to hear details about the pressures nurses face from their higher ups, the county, their colleagues, and more than often, themselves. We stand by our nurses and we appreciate all of the work that they do for the individual and the community. We are proud to share their successes with you during our updates section towards the end of the episode, so please stay tuned! We hope you enjoy this fun, engaging, informative, and heartfelt piece!

Please feel free to like, share, and follow us on the Gram @Sanjo_lodown and consider donating to our show through the San Jo Lo Down Website https://www.sanjolodown.com. We appreciate you and look forward to hearing from you soon!