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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; National Nurses United is traveling around the country in support of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.</p><p>On Public Square Tuesday afternoon, the group sought to get its message out to voters as the April 26 Pennsylvania primary approaches.</p><p>With a sign emblazoned across one side of a bus &#8212; &#8220;The most trusted profession trusts Bernie&#8221; &#8212; the nurses arrived at 2 p.m. and walked around Public Square, stopping to chat with people, handing out information about why they support the Vermont senator who will turn 75 years old in September.</p><p>Sanders is running against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.</p><p>Karen Higgins, a co-president of NNU, said there are three nurse-filled buses traveling around the country in support of Sanders.</p><p>&#8220;We hope to talk to people and tell them why we, as nurses, feel so strongly about Bernie Sanders,&#8221; Higgins said. &#8220;We agree with Bernie that the country needs health care, not health insurance.&#8221;</p><p>Higgins said the nurses feel there are serious concerns in health care: people ration medications to save money, they refuse to see doctors because of high co-payments and children are being diagnosed with adult diseases like diabetes and hypertension because they don&#8217;t eat right.</p><p>&#8220;Children and adults come to us much sicker because of all those reasons,&#8221; said Higgins, who walked Tuesday with Pam Darpel, an RN from Kansas; and Michelle Mahon, of Ohio.</p><p>According to the group&#8217;s website, National Nurses United has over 185,000 members from all 50 states, is the largest organization of registered nurses in the U.S. and the first union to endorse Sanders. Since August 2015, NNU members have organized house parties, rallies and phone banks, and mobilized door-to-door efforts in support of Sanders.</p><p>&#8220;From Nevada to New Hampshire, from Colorado to South Carolina, RNs have talked to voters and been reminded of the huge gaps in access to health care and education, concerns about retirement security, jobs lost due to unfair trade deals, widespread inequality and the escalating climate crisis,&#8221; RoseAnn DeMoro, NNU executive director, stated on the NNU website. &#8220;Bernie Sanders and the legions of grassroots activists around the U.S. who have joined him will not stop. The political revolution is just beginning.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pam Darpel, RN, Michelle Mahon, RN, and Karen Higgins, president of the National Nurses United, walk Main Street in Wilkes-Barre to find voters for Bernie Sanders for president. Here, Darpel talks with Ryan Shuta about the Vermont senator. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_TTL042016Bernie1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pam Darpel, RN, Michelle Mahon, RN, and Karen Higgins, president of the National Nurses United, walk Main Street in Wilkes-Barre to find voters for Bernie Sanders for president. Here, Darpel talks with Ryan Shuta about the Vermont senator. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>National organization visits WB ahead of primary</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

National Nurses United visit Public Square in Wilkes-Barre in support of Bernie Sanders