[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 8, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL NURSES WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2013

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of National Nurses 
Week. Nurses form the backbone of our nation's healthcare system. 
Patients depend upon nurses when they are at their most vulnerable, 
families entrust the care and comfort of their loved ones to their 
capable hands, and a happy and healthy nursing workforce means a happy 
and healthy American people.
  This week is an opportunity for us to thank the roughly 3 million 
registered nurses in the United States, who provide the front-line 
patient contact that is critical to medical treatment that is effective 
and efficient--and they do so with a humanity that is refreshing. They 
provide understanding care to victims of domestic violence, a 
compassionate touch for family members who have lost a loved one, and 
the support and strength our wounded veterans need to recover.
  As our nation looks towards implementing the Affordable Care Act, 
nurses will play a leading role in providing cost-effective, high-
quality care to millions of new patients. One of the most important 
things we can do to control costs and improve patient outcomes is 
encourage and support both current and future members of the nursing 
profession. The current nursing shortage is a major hurdle that we must 
confront if we want to lead the world in health care quality and 
efficiency. By recruiting, training, and retaining the best nursing 
workforce that we possibly can, our nation will be investing in itself.
  The acknowledged relationship between increased nurse staffing levels 
and decreased patient complications and reduced hospital stay lengths 
is too important to ignore. Shorter hospital stays means smaller 
premiums for all Americans. It also means fewer tax dollars being 
spent. But in more important terms, it means husbands and wives, 
fathers and mothers, sons and daughters who are around longer, with 
better quality of life. That is what nurses provide, and it is that for 
which I rise to say thank you.

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