October 14th is Nurses Campaign Activity Night 1998 (Nurses CAN ‘98). Nurses CAN ‘98 is your opportunity to join with your nursing colleagues to elect the candidates best qualified to represent nurses at the federal, state and local levels of government. On October 14th, the American Nurses Association and State Nurses Associations are urging all nurses to volunteer on campaigns. ANA has a list of endorsed federal candidates available on their website. Many states have also developed a list of endorsed state candidates where they believe nurses can make an important difference.
This is your chance to join with other nurses to show candidates that nurses are serious about being a major player in the political arena. Call your local district today to volunteer on a campaign. Although individual campaign volunteers are appreciated by candidates, an organized group effort such as running phone banks or canvassing neighborhoods with literature, for a specific purpose will receive more attention.
Please provide your district nurses association and the candidate with your name and amount of hours that were volunteered. The nurses association will be able to use the volunteer information to share with candidates that X nurses contributed X hours to their campaigns. This volunteerism increases our visibility and provides concrete evidence of nursing contribution in addition to our financial support of candidates.
It is, of course, always an individual's right to work for any candidate he/she desires. The important message is that nurses can make a difference in the 1998 election by volunteering on a campaign on October 14. Make a phone call today and volunteer. You can make a difference.
THE AUTHOR
Greer Glazer, PhD, RN, FAANDirector, Parent Child Nursing
College of Nursing
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44202
E-mail Address: GGlazer@kent.edu
Dr. Glazer is Professor and Director of Parent Child Nursing at Kent State University College of Nursing. Besides her many research activities in the field of women's health and stress, Dr. Glazer is chairman of the Ohio Nurses' Association Government Affairs Committee, a combination legislation committee and PAC. She is currently the legislative liaison to congressman Steve LaTourette and has previously been on health care committees at the state and national level. Locally she serves on the Board of the Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Children's Trust Fund and recently completed four years on the Health Care Committee allocation panel for United Way in Cuyahoga County.
Article published Sept. 30, 1998
