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The American Nurses Association Endorses Senator Barack Obama

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The American Nurses Association (ANA) announces its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) in the 2008 Presidential Election. The ANA represents the interests of the nation’s 2.9 million registered nurses.

“As President, Barack Obama will bring real change to our health care system,” said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR. “Nurses are consistently voted the most trusted profession by the American people, and we, as a profession, trust that Barack Obama will see that affordable quality health care is made available to everyone.”

“I am honored to receive the endorsement of the American Nurses Association,” said Sen. Barack Obama. “The nurses of America serve our country tirelessly, and I share their belief that we must bring affordable and accessible health care to all Americans. My plan lowers health care costs for the average American family by up to $2500 and finally makes health care work better for American families than it does for the drug and insurance companies.”

“Both Senator Obama and Senator Clinton spoke at ANA’s House of Delegates in June about the need to move forward in unity to bring about real, much needed change to our health care system, and our nurses responded: ‘Yes we can’” Patton added. “Nurses represent the largest group of health care professionals in this country, and working together, we can use our power in the voting booth to make health care a priority, and make Barack Obama the next President of the United States.”

Senator Obama is committed to signing universal health legislation by the end of his first term in office that ensures all Americans have high-quality, affordable health care coverage. Barack Obama recognizes that nurses play a critical role in every aspect of patient care, and the nursing shortage ranks as one of the most pressing issues facing our health care system. Obama’s health care plan includes expanded funding to improve the primary care and public health practitioner workforce; including loan repayments, improved reimbursement and training grants.

Barack Obama has a history of advocacy for nurses and patients. In the Illinois senate, he helped lead efforts to protect nurses and improve the quality of health care. In the U.S. Senate, he cosponsored the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act, which limits mandatory overtime for nurses to true emergency situations, and as President, he has promised to sign this important legislation into law.

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, an invitation to all of the democratic and republican candidates for a personal interview and an online survey of ANA’s membership regarding which candidate is most supportive of nursing’s agenda.

The ANA is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation’s 2.9 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

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