Nation’s largest union of registered nurses joins U.S. representatives to call for end to blockade of Cuba

National Nurses United, the nation's largest union of registered nurses, and U.S. Representative Delia Ramirez will hold a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 30 to demand an end to the Trump administration's blockade of oil supplies entering Cuba. Union nurses will be joined by Global Health Partners, which is working to supply the island nation with critical medical equipment and medicine, as fuel shortages enter its fourth month and the humanitarian crisis escalates.

"Nurses cannot and will not stay silent while our president's policies cause immense suffering, at home or abroad," said NNU President Jamie Brown, RN. "The Trump administration is using innocent lives, including pregnant women and infants, to force the Cuban government to concede to its completely unrealistic demands. U.S. nurses denounce these cruel tactics and demand an end to the blockade."

Who: National Nurses United press conference demanding end to Cuban blockade
What: NNU RNs; U.S. representatives Delia Ramirez, Pramila Jayapal, and Ro Khanna; Global Health Partners; Code Pink
When: Tuesday, June 30 at 11:00am ET
Where: House Triangle | U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. 20004

Without essential oil resources, as well as a sharp increase in U.S. sanctions, Cubans are suffering from frequent blackouts, shortages of gasoline and cooking gas, and dwindling supplies of diesel that power the nation's water pumps, with a particularly severe impact on the delivery of health care services. Recent reporting indicates that tens of thousands of Cubans have had to forego medical treatments, including surgeries, and that three-quarters of essential medicines are entirely unavailable on the island. Additionally, the U.N. has warned that infant mortality has doubled and that fuel shortages have negatively impacted food production, with output down by more than 60 percent, leading to a sharp increase in food costs.

To support the Cuban people, NNU nurses have donated to Global Health Partners (GHP), an organization that has brought millions of dollars worth of lifesaving medicines and surgical supplies to the island. Most recently, GHP's programs have been focused on reversing Cuba's fast-rising infant mortality rate.

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.