[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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