[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 76 (Thursday, May 8, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E872]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL NURSES WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 6, 2008

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of H. Res. 
1086, a resolution in recognition of National Nurses Week, which will 
be celebrated May 6 through May 12, 2008. As a proud member of the 
Congressional Nursing Caucus, I added my name as cosponsor to this 
worthy resolution.
  Nurses Week has been celebrated every year since 2003 and coincides 
with the May 12th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of 
modern nursing. We recognize this week, as we should all 52 weeks of 
the year, the critical role nurses play in providing safe, high-
quality, and preventative health care.
  Providing this type of adequate health care is essential, not only 
across the Nation, but especially in rural America. As a longtime 
friend of hard-working West Virginians, I believe all Americans deserve 
to have access to quality, affordable health care. Throughout my 
tenure, I have continued to support programs that will improve this 
access, and I believe that providing quality nurses is part of this 
goal. This is why I support increased funding for Nursing Workforce 
Development Programs so that those who answer the call to serve others 
through nursing have the support and funding they need to achieve that 
goal.
  Nursing care is an essential and necessary aspect of our health care 
infrastructure, and it is therefore important that we continue to 
provide every opportunity to recruit and maintain more nurses, 
particularly in rural areas like southern West Virginia. Nursing 
programs in my district such as those at St. Mary's Hospital, Marshall 
University, and Mountain State University, along with countless others 
around the State, help to provide a vital service to their fellow 
citizens.
  I encourage the people of West Virginia, and the entire Nation, to 
observe National Nurses Week with appropriate recognition, ceremonies, 
activities, and programs to demonstrate the importance of nurses to the 
everyday lives of patients. They make significant contributions to the 
lives of so many every day without once asking for the recognition they 
clearly deserve.

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