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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		United Nurses of America, AFSCME
DATE:		MAY 3, 1999

Now, I know this might come as a surprise to most of you. But even though you and I might know Jerry McEntee as a very quiet, soft spoken, low key, kind of a guy -- someone who'd never even think to raise his voice. Here in Washington, Jerry's known as being, well, just a little bit forceful.

But there's another reason I wanted to be here with you today, if only for a few minutes. And that's to say thank you.

• Thank you for always standing up for real health care reform.

• Thank you for bargaining for partnerships that put patients first.

• And, more than anything, thank you for the quality care you and your members provide each and every day.

You have helped to heal literally millions of Americans -- not only with your skill and your compassion -- but also with your committed advocacy for patients and their families. That's why I want to tell you today that as far as this Administration is concerned, quality nursing care can't just be a part of America's past, together we're going to see to it it's part of America's future.

Now, I know there are some people who see it a little differently. I think they're some of the same people who believe nurses should never join a union. I'm talking about people who would argue that having union representation somehow makes you less of a professional.

Well, whenever I hear that I always remember how when I was a teacher there were some people who said the same thing to me. But what I discovered then is the same thing each of you have. It's that the strength that comes with having a union didn't take away from my professionalism . . . it added to it.

A strong voice. That's what having a union is all about . . . and that's what the President's Patients' Bill of Rights is all about, too. It's no coincidence that Jerry McEntee was one of the people responsible for launching the process that led to the Patients' Bill of Rights. In fact, the philosophy behind it is similar to AFSCME's. It's the belief that patients and their families have some fundamental rights that ought to be respected.

• The right to accurate, easy-to-understand information.

• The right to choose our own providers -- that includes access to specialists.

• The right to access emergency services.

• The right to be a full partner in health care decisions.

• The right to care without discrimination.

• The right to privacy.

• The right to have complaints resolved fairly and efficiently.

And the understanding that, together with these rights, patients also have to take greater responsibility for maintaining their good health. Seven specific rights, but they all add up to one, important idea: the idea that we ought to have a health care system in this country that puts patients first. That's what the Patients' Bill of Rights is all about -- and that's why it's so darned important that we get it passed this year once and for all.

I know that I speak for both the President and the Vice President when I say that AFSCME is one of the best riends this Administration has ever had. Together, we've helped changed America for the better.

Well, today, I want to challenge you and call on you to stand up again. Today, I want to call on you to continue to stand up for quality health care. Today, I want to call on you to continue to stand up for patients and their families. Today, I want to call on you to stand up for a health care system where every nurse's voice is heard loud and clear. Today, I want to call on you to help make our Patients' Bill of Rights the law of this land.

Together, we can build the kind of health care system that America deserves. The kind of health care system that's worthy of a union label.