NURSES AND THE MINISTRY OF HEALING

An essential pillar of the health care system in our country is the more than three million women and men who are registered nurses. On a daily basis, these selfless individuals respond to the needs of humanity and epitomize the ideal of service. They perform critical health functions, ranging from administering medications to changing bed pans.

Four years ago, I Introduced legislation, the National Nurses Act, establishing the position of a National Nurse for Public Health.

The position provided a visible government manager that would collaborate with health care leaders, inside and outside of government, in an effort to address existing health care disparities, and establish specific goals leading to drastic improvements in the nation’s health care system.

As a former professional nurse, I understand fully the role and importance of nurses in our society, particularly in our health care system. Under the legislation I proposed, the National Nurse for Public Health would advise the nation’s Surgeon General on matters such as health standards, professional recruitment and career development for nurses that are employed by agencies of the Public Health sector and its contractors.

Nurses are invaluable health care resources. That is why I reintroduced the National Nurses Act in the 113th Congress, and introduced a Congressional Resolution recognizing “National Nurses Week.”

Congressional efforts to identify a period during which the nation recognized the contributions to wellness made by nurses began in 1954. Twenty years later, President Richard Nixon issued a proclamation recognizing National Nurses Week.

Nurses in this country are passionate about their profession. They believe in the art of healing, and frequently risk their personal health to make others whole. Nurses are more than worthy of our support and our praise. They are among the foundational pillars of American society.