[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 107 (Wednesday, July 31, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S7748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[[Page S7748]]
SENATE RESOLUTION 314--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT A
COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP SHOULD BE ISSUED COMMEMORATING REGISTERED
NURSES
Mr. CLELAND submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Governmental Affairs:
S. Res. 314
Whereas registered nurses comprise the largest health care
work force in the United States, numbering more than
2,700,000;
Whereas registered nurses are integral to health care
across human lifespan, from the nurse midwives who attend
deliveries, to staff nurses who care for us during times of
acute injury or illness, to geriatric nurse practitioners who
manage end-of-life care;
Whereas nursing is a rewarding profession that offers
diverse career paths for men and women;
Whereas registered nurses provide direct patient care and
manage teams of medical professionals in hospitals, clinics,
community health centers, offices, nursing homes, and the
homes of patients;
Whereas there is a growing disparity between the supply of
and demand for registered nurses that is leading to an
overwhelming shortage that will place great strains on our
health care system;
Whereas this burgeoning shortage represents confluence of
powerful demographic and social forces, including declining
nursing school enrollment and increased exodus from the
profession;
Whereas the lack of young people in nursing has resulted in
a steady and dramatic increase in the average age of a
registered nurse in the United States;
Whereas the average age of a working registered nurse is 43
years, meaning that the nursing workforce is aging at twice
the rate of other occupations in the United States;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that
331,000 registered nurses, or 15 percent of the current
workforce, will retire between 1998 and 2008;
Whereas the health care needs of the Nation are expected to
increase greatly as the baby boom generation reaches
retirement age;
Whereas a recent survey of hospitals across the Nation
concluded that nursing shortages are already causing
emergency department overcrowding, emergency department
diversions, increase waiting time for surgery, discontinued
patient care programs or reduced service hours, delayed
discharges, and canceled surgeries;
Whereas 4 agencies under the Department of Health and Human
Services recently demonstrated the relationship between
registered nurses and patient care in a study that found
strong and consistent evidence that increased registered
nurse staffing directly relates to decreases in the incidence
of urinary tract infections, pneumonia, shock, and upper
gastrointestinal bleeding, and decreases in the length of
hospital stays;
Whereas the Institute of Medicine and the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services have recently released reports
detailing the need for increased registered nurse care in
nursing facilities;
Whereas the American Nurses Association has identified a
need to improve the recognition of the value of nursing and
the image of the nursing profession;
Whereas registered nurses did not hesitate to respond to
the extraordinarily dangerous situations resulting from the
terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, putting their own
lives at risk and acting heroically to help save as many
lives as possible in the impact zones; and
Whereas registered nurses have historically cared for
patients regardless of the risks of war, violence, or of
contracting debilitating illnesses: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SENSE OF THE SENATE.
It is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) the United States Postal Service should issue a postage
stamp commemorating registered nurses; and
(2) the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend
to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued not
later than 1 year after the adoption of this resolution.
SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL TO CITIZENS' STAMP ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy of this
resolution to the chairperson of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory
Committee.
Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I am very pleased to submit a resolution
recognizing the value of nurses and the importance of the nursing
profession to the Nation's health care system. My legislation expresses
the Sense of the Senate that a Nurses Care for America postage stamp
should be issued in appreciation of nurses and everything that they do
on behalf of their patients.
Registered nurses, specifically, comprise the largest health care
work force in the United States, numbering more than 2,700,000. These
registered nurses provide direct patient care and manage teams of
medical professionals in hospitals, clinics, community health centers,
offices, nursing homes, and the homes of patients. Registered nurses
did not hesitate to respond to the extraordinarily dangerous situations
resulting from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, putting
their own lives at risk and acting heroically to help save as many
lives as possible in the impact zones.
In all the years that we have acknowledged how much nurses mean to
the delivery of health care and our quality of life, we have not done
enough to ensure the viability of nursing as a profession. The 2001
American Nurses Association, ANA, National Survey revealed that 715
hospitals had 126,000 openings for nursing positions and an 11 percent
vacancy rate. Nursing schools across the country report that enrollment
has significantly decreased and the ANA also projects that 65 percent
of present nurses will retire within this decade. These statistics
signal a nursing crisis and that, in turn, means a health care crisis
for this country. I am very proud of my Senate colleagues for passing
crucial legislation, like the Nurse Reinvestment Act and the Veterans
Affairs Nurse Recruitment and Retention Act, to help remedy this
situation. We must continue to support measures which will promote
nursing and enable nurses to provide needed care, which is why my
legislation that encourages the creation of a postage stamp honoring
this worthwhile and important profession is so important.
Please join with me and the American Nurses Association to support
this measure and recognize the vast contributions made by nurses who
care for America. Thank you.
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