Nursing News:
Senator John Kerry speaks to ANA¹s House of Delegates

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), the ANA-endorsed candidate for president, called into the House of Delegates (HOD) June 28 briefly to share his views of nurses and health care. ³I promise you that when I¹m in the White House, I will work to end mandatory overtime, make sure there are adequate nurse staffing levels and make sure your profession gets the respect it deserves,² Kerry told nearly 600 delegates and countless members in the audience at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Kerry said he has a plan to address myriad health care and nursing issues, from Medicare reimbursement to affordable, accessible health care coverage for all Americans. He also discussed the need for ongoing RN recruitment and retention strategies.
Further, Kerry thanked ANA and nurses for their support thus far and urged them to continue garnering more support for his campaign. Before the HOD concluded, delegates again acted on a number of measures. They asked ANA to support U.S. ratification of two United Nations treaties: the ³Convention on the Rights of the Child² and the ³Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.²
Delegates also asked ANA to continue to build on its successes in winning funding for nurse education, as well as other efforts aimed at addressing the nursing shortage. And, they called on ANA to make the elimination of health disparities among minority populations a priority.