[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 162 (Tuesday, October 10, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE WORK OF REGISTERED NURSES IN AFTERMATH OF NATURAL 
                               DISASTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 10, 2017

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor 
registered nurses across our nation who have urgently worked on the 
front lines after the deadly hurricanes this past season. In 
particular, Dotty Nygard and Rhonda Risner, who are a part of a large 
network of volunteers that are deployed after natural disasters to help 
take care of patients.
  Three weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit south Texas, registered nurses 
were deployed for weeks at a time. There these nurses gave dedicated 
care to their patients to ensure that the viruses had not spread to 
anyone and that they received the specific attention they needed. Their 
work was integral to the safety of victims after natural disasters. 
Viruses and diseases can spread quickly after natural disasters due to 
the number of different people in confined places. It is the nurses who 
spot the signs of these viruses as soon as they can, and it is the 
nurses who become the first defense against the spreading of flus and 
other life-threatening viruses.
  While serving the victims of the hurricane, nurses encountered a 
multitude of chronic issues, including heart attacks, strokes, and 
hypertensive crises from patients who have either never had access to 
health care or lost their medications in the floods. It is because of 
nurses' insight, diligent observation, and quick response that these 
people are still alive today.
  Nurses across the nation have created a network of 20,000 volunteers 
who have traveled the world, helping victims of natural disasters. The 
nurses have gone to the Philippines after a tsunami, Haiti following 
the earthquake, and worked with the U.S. Navy in Central and South 
America. Many of the patients they face have no access to their 
medications after a disaster or their access to medical care is 
severely limited or non-existent. These nurses are at the front lines 
saving lives in disasters all over the world, and their work cannot be 
forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, across the nation registered nurses' dedication and 
benevolence in their care for victims of natural disasters all over the 
world are integral to patients' safety and well-being and the eventual 
recovery of any area. We must always remember to honor and thank those 
first responders in their work around the world, especially those 
nurses who give up their time in hospitals and health centers to care 
for victims after a natural disaster.

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