50+ Medical Professionals from Across Virginia Endorse Terry McAuliffe for Governor, Citing Terry’s Leadership on COVID-19 Vaccines & Recovery

From the McAuliffe for Governor campaign:

50+ Medical Professionals from Across Virginia Endorse Terry McAuliffe for Governor, Citing Terry’s Leadership on COVID-19 Vaccines & Recovery

Terry Has Required Campaign Staff To Be Vaccinated and Called On All Virginia Employers, Including Health Care Systems & School Divisions, To Require Vaccination Against COVID-19

Glenn Youngkin Opposes All Vaccine Mandates and Rejects CDC Recommendations to Keep Virginia Families and Children Safe

MCLEAN, VA – More than 50 medical professionals from across Virginia today endorsed Terry McAuliffe for governor, citing Terry’s clear leadership on COVID-19 vaccination efforts and his plans to build a stronger post-COVID economy. Terry has released detailed plans to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, secure Virginia’s economic recovery, and combat rising costs to make health care more affordable for Virginians.

Terry McAuliffe has proven he is a leader when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination efforts and recovery: he is requiring his campaign staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and has called on all Virginia employers, including health care providers, nursing homes, child care providers and schools, to require full vaccination of their employees in order to keep Virginia’s economy open and strong. Terry has also called on colleges and universities across Virginia to require students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Trump-endorsed Glenn Youngkin, however, refuses to follow the science to keep Virginians safe. Youngkin opposes all vaccine mandates, including those for health care workers working with Virginia’s most vulnerable patients, and he has promised to roll back COVID-19 safety measures including vaccine mandates on day one if he is elected. Youngkin encourages Virginians to claim non-religious, non-medical exemptions for “whatever reason” in order to avoid taking the vaccine and he opposes requiring schools to follow CDC mask recommendations that keep children safe.

As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will launch his Virginia is for Vaccine Lovers campaign to keep Virginians safe from COVID-19, outlining his vision to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger economy. The centerpiece of his plan is getting every eligible Virginian vaccinated and keeping Virginia’s schools and economy open. The campaign will deploy public health workers to regions with low vaccination rates, ensure Virginians have critical information about vaccine safety and utilize mobile vaccine clinics to make it easier for Virginians to get vaccinated.

“The only way to get this virus under control, keep schools open and safe and our economy strong is by following the science and recommendations of medical professionals to get all eligible Virginians vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Terry McAuliffe. “I am proud to be supported by a huge coalition of medical professionals who share my vision to move Virginia forward and know that I’m the only candidate who will keep Virginians safe and healthy. By working together and showing real leadership, I know we can defeat this virus, keep our economy strong and our Commonwealth safe.”

“COVID-19 has presented families across Virginia and the country with an unprecedented challenge, but through strong leadership and science, we will move together out of this pandemic. Through getting every Virginian vaccinated, lives will be saved and we will be put on the right path forward for our communities, schools and economy,” said Vivienne Pierce McDaniel, DNP, RN, Professor of Nursing. “Electing leaders who champion science and safety is critical to our recovery and Terry McAuliffe will be the leader who defeats this virus and keeps Virginians healthy.”

“As a doctor, I understand the importance of electing leaders who put the health and safety of our communities above all else. Terry McAuliffe’s strong leadership on calling for vaccine requirements is exactly what this Commonwealth needs to get out of this pandemic,” said Dr. Jennifer Lee, Former Director of the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services. “I fought alongside Terry to expand Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of Virginians and I know Terry is the right candidate to continue the fight for Virginia’s families.”

Medical Professionals for Terry:

• Delegate Dawn M. Adams, DNP, ANP-BC, CHC, 68th District of the Virginia House of Delegates
• Dr. Jennifer Lee, Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Former Director of the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services, Fairfax
• Dr. Katherine Farris, Chief Medical Officer Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Roanoke
• Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, Senior Fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, Arlington County
• Vivienne Pierce McDaniel, DNP, RN Professor of Nursing, Chesterfield County
• Dr. Mark Downey, MD, Pediatric Associates of Williamsburg, Candidate for Virginia House of Delegates 96th District, Williamsburg
• Dr. Benjamin Moses, MD, Critical Care Surgeon UVA, Candidate for Virginia House of Delegates 59th District, Charlottesville
• Keisha Jackson, RN, ICU Clinical Manager, South Boston
• Dr. Peter Jackson, MD, Assistant Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care at VCU Health System, City of Richmond
• Dr. Daniel Carey, MD, MHCM, FACC, City of Richmond
• Dr. Joseph Sakran, MD, Surgeon, Fairfax Station
• Dr. Mohammad Farooq, MD, American Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent, Chester
• Dr. Ali Khan, Executive Medical Director Oak Street Health, Herndon
• Dr. Heidi Appel, MD, Pediatric Critical Care Physician, McLean
• Christine Payne, MBA Healthcare, BSN, RN, James City County
• Dr. Dan Noffsinger, MD, Virginia Women’s Center, City of Richmond
• Wallicia Chavis, RN, Clinical Nurse Manager, Halifax County
• Shannon Noffsinger, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, City of Richmond
• Dr. Sergio R. Rimola, MD, OB-GYN, Vienna
• Dr. Ranjodh Gill, MD, City of Richmond
• Carli Viola-Luqa, RN, City of Richmond
• Dr. Emily Huffstetler, MD, Charlottesville
• Laurie Buchwald, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Radford
• Ashley Tracy, NP, Planned Parenthood, City of Roanoke
• Dr. Taison Bell, MD, Charlottesville
• Brenda Clarkson, RN, Mechanicsville
• Mary Wright Baylor, Pastoral Care Nurse, Fairfax County
• Dr. Reza Omarzai, MD, Chesterfield County
• Dr. Harry Gewanter, MD, City of Richmond
• Eileen O’Grady, NP, McClean
• Arleen Paredes, MSN, BS, RN, CMSRN, City of Richmond
• Dr. Raziuddin Ali, MD, Chesterfield County
• Dr. Saquib Samee, MD, Glen Allen
• Vanessa Fowlkes, NP, City of Richmond
• Sallie Eissler, RN, Lorton
• Sandra Olanitori, RN, Suffolk
• Chelsea Savage, DNP, RN, City of Richmond
• Dr. Megan Lemay, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Midlothian
• Suhas Gondi, Harvard Medical School Student, Loudoun County
• Mary Wheeler, NP, Vienna
• Amanda Golino, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Loudoun County
• Natasha Coleman, RN, City of Richmond
• Pamela Cipriano, RN, Charlottesville
• Anne Bass, RN, Roanoke
• Dr. Shanthi Ramesh, MSCR, City of Richmond
• Sandra Whitley Ryals, RN, City of Roanoke
• Sogand Karimian, RN, City of Richmond
• Jasmine Starr, NP, Hampton Roads
• Theresa Gaffney, PhD, MPA, RN, Burke
• Dr. Anne Brown, MD, Loudoun County
• Dr. Marie Steinmetz, MD, Alexandria
• Frances Montague, DNP, RN, Amelia
• Caitlin Lugo, NP, Hampton Roads
• Donna McCarthy, RN
• Catherine Iveson, RN, Newport News
• Adriene Simms, RN, South Riding
• Dr. Frances Casey, MD, City of Richmond
• Teresa Haller, RN, Albemarle County
• Diane Walker, Retired NP, City of Winchester

Terry has released 20 detailed plans to strengthen Virginia’s education system and dramatically increase teacher pay, help secure Virginia’s economic recovery from COVID-19, reform our criminal justice system, ensure Virginians have access to regular nutritious meals, address the broken, predatory system of prescription drug pricing, confront the gun violence epidemic, make Virginia the best state in the nation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Health Care (STEM-H) and computer science education, tackle the housing crisis in the Commonwealth and invest in Virginia’s workforce in the post-COVID economy, ensure Virginians have access to high-quality, affordable health care, tackle climate change and secure Virginia’s clean energy future by 2035, lift up Black Virginians as the Commonwealth rebuilds from the COVID-19 pandemic, further advance LGBTQ+ rights, create a flourishing rural economy, support entrepreneurial ecosystems and tackle rising costs and meet the health care needs, make higher education more affordable, boost Virginia’s agriculture and forestry industries, and protect seniors from COVID-19 and ensure quality and affordability later in life and tackle the COVID-19 crisis.