"On behalf of the American Nurses Association, I congratulate Senator Barack Obama on his extraordinary, historic achievement of becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States. The ANA recognizes how difficult this feat was with a field of many qualified candidates. We also congratulate Senator Hillary Clinton who fought, and will continue to fight, to ensure that all Americans receive high quality, affordable and accessible care.
ANA has been making presidential endorsements since 1984. The endorsement process includes: sending a questionnaire on nursing and health care issues to all of the Democratic and Republican candidates; sending an invitation to all of the democratic and republican candidates for a personal interview; and then engaging in an online survey of ANA’s membership regarding which candidate our members believe is most supportive of nursing’s agenda.
Now that Senator Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee, the ANA looks forward to reaching out to Senators Obama and McCain about many of the specific issues our members care most about, specifically addressing safe and appropriate staffing. As nurses, we are on the front lines of patient care every day. We see dangerously overcrowded hospital emergency rooms—often because they are the only option for people without health insurance. It’s a problem for too many Americans. That’s why it’s imperative that our next president make health system reform a priority.
From the beginning of this campaign, we knew that this election year would be one for the history books, but it has also reminded us that we as a nursing profession cannot sit on the sidelines and watch – we need to be at the table. The ANA PAC Board will be reviewing its endorsement process and remaining options and hopes to make a new recommendation to the ANA Board.
The stakes of this 2008 Presidential Election are high and the future of nurses, patients, and health care is at stake. If nursing is not involved, someone else will speak for us. America’s 2.9 million registered nurses have long advocated for the critically needed reforms vital to the improvement of health care and will continue to use our power in the voting booth to make health care a priority. Nurses’ voices need to and must be heard in November!"
ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR
Read Senator Hillary Clinton's Speech in Washington, DC - June 7, 2008
Watch Senator Hillary Clinton's Speech
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Members of the Wyoming Nurses Association along with Nursing students from Casper College attend a town hall meeting for Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) in Casper, Wyoming on March 7, 2008. |
ANA Press Release on Endorsement
ANA President Becky Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR Letter to ANA Members
ANA President Joins Senator Clinton on Campaign Trail
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