Nurses nationwide should support Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to build a safer, healthier and more equitable society, according to an editorial written by Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of National Nurses United, published in The Hill.
The illnesses and injuries nurses treat begin in homes and communities, and a nurse's job as a patient advocate is to fight for others within and outside hospital walls, the union leader argues.
Below are four reasons nurses should support Mr. Sanders, according to Ms. Castillo:
1. Vote nurses' values. Mr. Sanders has sided with National Nurses United on multiple issues. He works for the kind of society nurses want for patients — one that protects health, human rights and dignity, and could perhaps prevent patients from requiring care in the first place.
2. "Medicare for All." Nurses are tired of witnessing the refusal of care for patients who cannot afford services. National Nurses United supports Mr. Sanders in his fight for healthcare as a human right.
3. Collective action. Mr. Sanders' campaign slogan "not me, us" echoes a truth nurses know from fighting corporate employers for safe patient care conditions. By rebuilding the labor movement and protecting workers, Mr. Sanders is making it easier for workers to use collective power. He is the chief sponsor of the Workplace Democracy Act and a co-sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act.
4. Environmental and climate justice. Patients suffer from pollution and increasingly frequent disasters fueled by the climate crisis. Patients deserve a Green New Deal.