FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE/June 19, 1996 CONTACT: Joan Meehan [202/651-7020] American Nurses Association Endorses Clinton for PresidentWASHINGTON, DC -- Emphasizing his continued support of registered nurses and the nursing profession, and his commitment to improving the health care system through sound public policy, the American Nurses Association (ANA) is proud to announce its endorsement of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, Jr., for president and vice president of the United States. ANA President Virginia Trotter Betts, JD, MSN, RN, offered ANA's endorsement to President Bill Clinton today at ANA's Convention and Centennial Celebration in Washington, DC. "President Clinton has actively sought the support of nursing for the past four years and has embraced many of the principles of Nursing's Agenda for Health Care Reform," said Betts. Nursing's Agenda, the profession's plan for health care, was released in 1991 and is endorsed by more than 70 nursing and health care organizations. In her remarks Betts pointed out that recent comments by Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole on the issue of teen smoking show the wide chasm that exists between ANA's efforts to reduce teen smoking and his commitment to reaching this goal. While Mr. Dole has stated that we need to prevent children from having access to tobacco products, he does not believe that the Food and Drug Administration should be involved. President Clinton addressed ANA's convention yesterday, paying tribute to the selfless commitment of the nation' nurses to provide the highest quality of care for the past 100 years, acknowledging their support for his health care initiatives, and asking for their continued support for key legislation such as the Health Insurance Reform Act. ANA is committed to working with the campaign to organize nurses around health care issues and to promote the Clinton/Gore ticket. One of ANA's primary goals is to highlight the role of nurses in both federal and state campaigns. ANA will also present testimony to both the Democratic and Republican Platform Hearings on the health care needs of the nation. The vote by the ANA-Political Action Committee (ANA-PAC) Board of Trustees and the ANA Board of Directors came after the completion of the ANA Presidential Endorsement Process mandated by the 1985 House of Delegates, the policy-making body of ANA. The decision to endorse the Clinton/Gore ticket was based on information provided during individual meetings with each of the candidates, each candidates' responses to the ANA Presidential Questionnaire, review of each candidates' issue papers, and responses by the state nurses associations and their members as to their preference for ANA action in this area. "Although Bob Dole supports parts of ANA's legislative agenda, President Clinton has shown consistent leadership on protecting and enhancing the role of nursing in the health care system," said Catherine Dodd, MSN, RN, chair of the ANA-PAC Board of Trustees. This endorsement applies to the Democratic ticket for President, but does not infer endorsement of the Democratic Party and/or Democratic candidates for other offices.
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