National nursing organization backs Rodriguez’s plan to lower health care costs, give Wisconsinites more choices in coverage, and protect and expand Medicaid

WAUKESHA, WI — During National Nurses Week, Nurses for America announced its endorsement of Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez for Governor of Wisconsin, citing her leadership on lowering health care costs, her commitment to protecting Medicaid, and her experience as a registered nurse who understands the challenges facing patients and providers across the state.

“Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez is a nurse, a proven leader, and a fighter for lower health care costs,” said the Campaign and Elections Committee, Nurses For America. “She has spent her career on the front lines of our health care system – working night shifts in the ER, responding to public health crises at the CDC, and leading the charge to expand Medicaid as a state legislator. She knows what patients need and what providers are up against. As governor, she will lower health care costs, protect Medicaid from devastating cuts, and ensure nurses and health care workers have the resources and support they need to do their jobs. We are proud to endorse her.”

Lt. Governor Rodriguez is a registered nurse with nearly 30 years of health care and public health leadership experience. Before entering public office, she worked night shifts in the emergency department, served as a CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer responding to disease outbreaks, and led large care management teams focused on preventive care and chronic conditions. Earlier this year, Rodriguez released her comprehensive health care plan, which includes creating BadgerChoice – a Wisconsin-governed public option, protecting and expanding BadgerCare, codifying basic health care protections into law through a Health Care Bill of Rights, and creating a rural hospital stabilization fund.

“I’m so honored to receive the endorsement of Nurses for America during National Nurses Week,” said Lt. Governor Rodriguez. “Nurses are the backbone of our health care system. We show up for patients in their most vulnerable moments, we advocate for them when no one else will, and we fight like hell to make sure they get the care they need. As governor, I will always stand with nurses and health care workers, and I will fight to expand access to affordable care, protect Medicaid from Republican cuts, and ensure every Wisconsinite can see a doctor when they need one without going broke.”

The endorsement comes as Wisconsin faces mounting threats to health care access. Congressional Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill, supported by Congressman Tom Tiffany, is projected to strip health coverage from 276,000 Wisconsinites over the next decade, including 63,000 working adults at immediate high risk of losing Medicaid due to red-tape work requirements. Meanwhile, over 900 hospitals and clinics nationwide have closed or are at risk of closure since the bill passed, putting additional strain on Wisconsin’s already stretched health care system.

“Nurses see every day what happens when people can’t afford care – patients delay treatment until a crisis, chronic conditions go unmanaged, and families are forced to choose between paying for medications and paying for rent,” Rodriguez said. “Republicans in Congress are making it worse by gutting Medicaid and forcing states to kick people off coverage. As governor, I will fight back. I will expand access to care, protect Medicaid, and make sure every Wisconsinite can afford to see a doctor when they need one.”

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 through May 12, ending on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. The week recognizes the contributions and sacrifices of nurses across the country.