American Nurses Association Endorses Hillary Clinton for President
SILVER SPRING, Md., March 22, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Nurses Association (ANA) today announced its endorsement of Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. ANA represents the interests of the nation's 3.4 million registered nurses and is the leading member-based organization for nurses in the United States.
"Hillary Clinton has been a nurse champion and health care advocate throughout her career and believes empowering nurses is good for patients and good for the country," said Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of ANA. "We need a president that will make it a priority to transform the country's health care system into one that is high quality, affordable and accessible."
As secretary of state, Clinton was an advocate for the rights and opportunities of women and girls, the LGBT community, and young people around the globe.
As a senator, she helped create grants that increased the number of Magnet® hospitals, which are recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (an ANA subsidiary) for demonstrating excellence in patient care. Clinton also supported increased funding for both Title VII and Title VIII programs, which help address the higher education needs of nurses and nursing faculty. Additionally, she championed programs designed to attract more individuals to the nursing field, including efforts to improve the quality of nurses' work environments.
"Nurses ensure the delivery of quality health care to patients, families and society," said Cipriano. "By supporting efforts to improve nurses' work environments, Hillary Clinton shows she understands the impact nursing has on patient outcomes and the quality of care."
As first lady, Clinton led early efforts to reform the U.S. health care system so that Americans would have access to affordable, high quality health care services. Notably, she worked with Republicans and Democrats to help create the successful Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health coverage to more than 8 million children and has helped cut the uninsured rate for children in half.
ANA and its Political Action Committee (ANA-PAC) endorse candidates who have demonstrated strong support for nursing and health care issues and who will best serve the interests of nurses and patients. Endorsement decisions are made based on candidate interviews, communication with ANA's constituent and state nurses associations, campaign information, the candidate's voting record on ANA priorities, and online polling of the ANA membership for their preferred candidates. In this year's poll, held Feb.16-March 1, Clinton garnered the most votes, beating the next leading candidate by more than 20 percentage points. For more information about ANA-PAC, click here.
ANA's endorsement was announced Tuesday, March 22, during a public event in Seattle with Secretary Clinton and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. To request pictures from the event, please email [email protected].
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's 3.4 million registered nurses. ANA advances the nursing 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.
SOURCE American Nurses Association
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