Nurses Converge in Nevada To Canvass for Bernie Sanders

This weekend, registered nurses from across the country will join Nevada nurses in Las Vegas to canvass for Bernie Sanders, National Nurses United (NNU) announced today.

"Nurses deal with the impact of social issues every day, at the bedside. Our patients are getting lost. They come to the Emergency Room as a last ditch effort, because they don't have healthcare, and by that time, their illness can be so advanced that there is no hope for them. All because they couldn't afford preventative care. Bernie believes in Medicare for all. He stands for us, and we are excited to tell voters why we stand with Bernie," said Darrella McGuire, RN, a Labor and Delivery nurse at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno.

Around 160 RNs from as far away as Florida and Texas say they are taking time to canvass in Vegas, both to connect with voters around the issues--and to show that working people can come together to invoke change.

"The nurses who are coming out this weekend are a testament to the fact that Bernie Sanders has the support to be elected. From healthcare for all and free public college education, to environmental and racial justice--people are really excited about what he stands for," said Deborah Hernandez, RN, of Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center in Houston, Texas. "If the most trusted profession is out here knocking on doors, to talk to people about why we trust Bernie, well--that should say something!"

What: Nurses Canvass for Bernie Sanders
Where: Gather at MGM Grand 8:30--9 a.m. each morning, board busses
10 a.m.--1 p.m. and 2 p.m.--4 p.m. canvas in Las Vegas-area neighborhoods
Media invited to morning gathering and/or to ride along on canvassing
When: January 16, 17, 18

National Nurses United is the largest union of nurses in the country, with 186,000 members in 50 states--and was the first national union to endorse Sanders, in August, 2015.

"It is Bernie Sanders who has made expanding health care to everyone through Medicare for all, which is also the best way to solve the crisis of medical debt, a centerpiece of his campaign. All while Hillary Clinton has abandoned the goal of healthcare for all," said RoseAnn DeMoro, Executive Director of NNU.

"Bernie is the also the most viable candidate who is not only fighting for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but has sponsored legislation to do so. He was the first major candidate to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the latest trade deal which will harm U.S. workers," DeMoro said. "All of these issues are critical to public health--and to that end, important to nurses, who are the ones at the bedside, caring for the public."

"I'm excited to talk to people about Bernie Sanders this weekend," says McGuire. "In fact, this is the first campaign that I've ever been really excited about. I just feel that Bernie is the only candidate right now who is thinking about the common people. This country is due for a shake up--getting money out of politics, taxing Wall Street, funding education, having better security for veterans--and I really believe Bernie Sanders is the one who will be able to do it."