AHA, AMA, ANA Issue Open Letter Urging Health Care Professionals to Take Covid-19 Vaccine & Share Experience With Others
WASHINGTON, DC – With the initial distribution and administration of a COVID-19 vaccine underway, leading U.S. medical, nursing and hospital organizations thanked health care professionals in an open letter today and urged them to continue their battle against COVID-19 by taking a vaccine and sharing their experience with others, noting their position as trusted and valued voices in their communities.
The open letter from the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association, and American Nurses Association is available here.
The full text is below:
An open letter to all health care professionals:
First, thank you. This year, health care professionals have sacrificed much to care for many, fighting COVID-19 skillfully, bravely and tirelessly. A grateful nation has watched and rightly bestowed upon you a legacy of respect. On behalf of our organizations and members, we add our own thanks for the tremendous dedication you each have shown in the face of a relentless pandemic. And yet, we must ask more.
While the arrival of vaccines is good news in the fight to defeat COVID-19, it does not signal an immediate end to our nation’s suffering. Just as we have been pushing for adoption of the precautions we all know work – masking, hand hygiene and physical distancing – we must also push for high rates of vaccination within the U.S. population if we hope to overcome this virus. This will require trust in the COVID vaccination process, from the development, distribution and administration of a safe and effective vaccine as well as a willing public to get vaccinated.
As frontline caregivers, our essential role in protecting the health and wellbeing of our communities goes beyond the care we provide. As a valued and trusted voice, our example is perhaps the strongest health resource we have.
Our hope is simple; we urge you to get the COVID-19 vaccine and share your experience with others.
As physicians, nurses, hospital and health system leaders, we remain committed to supporting the rigorous scientific and regulatory process, establishing safe and effective processes for administering vaccines to all who are eligible and choose to get vaccinated, and to making critical information about vaccines available as it is released.
Thank you for working to improve the health and safety of our country.
Your continued partners in health,
American Hospital Association
American Medical Association
American Nurses Association
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
ANA Media Relations
About the American Hospital Association
The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.
About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises, and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care. For more information, visit ama-assn.org.
About the American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's 4.2 million registered nurses. ANA advances the profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all. For more information, visit www.nursingworld.org.