We Need Affordable Healthcare
August 25th, 2008 | by Michael LinkThis post is by Pam Keeley, who lives in Seattle, Washington:
I haven’t felt this excited about an election in a long time.
This is my first time as a delegate—and my first Convention ever. I feel like this week I get to be a small part of the enormous change Barack Obama will bring to our country.
I’ve been a nurse for 36 years—so I see the affects of our broken healthcare system everyday.
I’m here to nominate our next president. But I’m also here to ensure that the issues that matter to nurses and the patients we care for get heard.
So many more people are waiting longer to get the care they need because they simply can’t afford it. This means sicker patients—and more of them.
At the same time nurses are leaving the bedside in record numbers. Many nurses face mandatory overtime and unsafe staffing levels—putting quality care in jeopardy.
We need affordable healthcare for every family. And we need to ensure that not only do nurses remain at the bedside—but that we attract a new generation of nurses to fill our worn out shoes.
That’s the message I’m bringing to the Convention. I know Barack Obama gets it—and that’s why I’m going to work as hard as I can to get him elected in November.