The following is a message from President Patton after the House vote on the Affordable Health Care for America Act which took place November 7, 2009. 

This has been an historic week of events for advocates of health care reform. The House passed H.R. 3962, “The Affordable Health Care for America Act.” I wanted to take the opportunity to thank nurses across the country for their help and support in advancing meaningful health care reform. Whether you took part in town halls, wrote letters to the editor, or contacted your own representatives to voice your opinion—your actions had an impact.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that our work continues to be recognized at the highest levels of government. Saturday night, while Congress was voting, I was honored to receive a personal call from President Obama himself. Once I got over the shock of hearing, “Becky, this is Barack Obama” I listened as he expressed his gratitude for the work ANA and its members did for the cause of health reform, and as he’s done in the past, he expressed his appreciation for all the work nurses do.

While this vote was a momentous step, it is only one step along the path toward safe, affordable, quality care for all. I urge you all to continue your efforts to make health care reform a reality. Contact your Senators and tell them you support reform which recognizes the vital role of nurses, creates a system that is responsive to the needs of all consumers, and provides equal access to safe, high-quality cost-effective care for all.

ANA and nurses around the country are ready to work with lawmakers to advance and enact health reform legislation before the end of the year. Now is the time for action—our patients, and our health care system, can’t wait any longer.

To learn more about ANA’s health care advocacy work and what you can do to take action, please visit http://www.rnaction.org/healthcare.

Thank you.

Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR
President, American Nurses Association
Silver Spring, MD

Tags: ANA President, H.R. 3962, http://www.rnaction.org/healthcare, November-December 2009, The Affordable Health Care for America Act

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