[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 11, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL NURSES WEEK

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                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2005

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, as I rise today to celebrate National 
Nurses Week, May 6-12, 2005, I would like to start off by reciting a 
passage of a poem written for Florence Nightingale--the original nurse 
who began the revolution that would bring us the health care we know 
today:

     Now God sent this woman to succour the brave
     Some thousands she saved from an untimely grave
     Her eyes beam with pleasure, she's bounteous and good
     The wants of the wounded are by her understood.

  Mr. Speaker, while this poem was a dedication to the care and ease 
the ``Lady-in-Chief', as Florence Nightingale was called during the 
Crimean War, brought to the soldiers as they laid in pain, it can 
easily be applied to the nurses that are thoughtfully attending to the 
needs of the sick and wounded today.
  From a mere ache in the neck, to recovery after surgery, nurses are 
the ones who are consistently by their patients' side, taking care of 
their daily needs. By the time a patient leaves, his or her nurse will 
know not just what the patient needs in order to complete his or her 
medical treatment, but what makes the patient laugh and what makes the 
patient cry. A great nurse makes the difference between a tolerable 
stay in the hospital and endurable pain, or an insufferable wait and 
excruciating agony.
  Today, our country relies on the tender care of 2.4 million nurses, 
who are truly the silent heroes of our health care system. Their 
diverse occupation provides comfort to women and men of all ages, 
illnesses, and professions, beginning from their first day on earth to 
their very last. Nurses across this country deserve the same support 
and consideration as they have given to us, and as I stand here today 
to honor their tireless work and selfless acts.

  Mr. Speaker, I also ask my colleagues to join me in giving their 
undivided attention to the crisis of nurse shortage in our nation.
  Mr. Speaker, as health care costs continue to rise, and as the number 
of uninsured has climbed to its highest number ever of 45 million 
Americans, nurses across this country are being overstretched and 
underappreciated. Consequently, the backbone of our health care system 
is starting to falter, as the number of registered nurses drops to its 
slowest growth rate since 1980.
  Enrollments in nursing schools are not meeting the demands of the 
population, and job burnout is causing current nurses to leave the 
profession. According to the June 2001 issue of TrendWatch published by 
the American Hospital Associations, 75 percent of vacancies in 
hospitals nationwide are nursing positions.
  Mr. Speaker, for the first time in history, the nurses of our country 
are suffering in a wounded profession. Let us work together to ensure 
that incentives are provided so that the younger generation considers 
becoming a part of one of the oldest and most venerable professions 
again. Let us be at the side of our nurses as they are at our side 
during our time of need.
  It took nurses 29 years before they were able to get a week of 
recognition for all of the hard work they put into our society year-
round. Let us make sure it doesn't take another 29 years before we 
start tending to the needs of their profession. They need more 
training, more research and more resources--I hope our budgets begin to 
reflect these priorities.
  Lastly, I want to recognize our colleagues who served as nurses prior 
to joining us in the House of Representatives--Eddie Bernice Johnson, 
Lois Capps and Carolyn McCarthy. I applaud your tireless work in 
raising nursing issues to a level of national significance, thereby 
improving our nation's healthcare delivery system.

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