President Bush petition

(archive--this campaign is now closed)

Dear President Bush:

I am writing to protest the omission of paramedics and registered nurses
in the list of "first responders" you mentioned in your March 19, 2003
speech to the nation about the start of hostilities in Iraq. You said
that one reason for the war was to address terrorism at the source
before it fell to "fire fighters and police and doctors on the streets
of our cities." Health care workers do serve in this "on the streets"
capacity, but it is paramedics who play a central role, and nurses are
also more involved than physicians. Of course, once patients reach a
hospital, physicians do take their places as part of the health care team.

One of the most important public health crises of our time is the
nursing shortage. When our leaders fail to credit the front-line work of
nurses, that work is devalued. Young people may not realize that nurses
save or improve millions of lives every day. One critical step in
resolving the nursing shortage is for our leaders to recognize the
contributions of nurses. I invite you or a member of your staff to join
me at work for a day, to learn what I do and why my work is so important
to the health of our nation.

I look forward to hearing from you.