[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 78 (Friday, May 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CELEBRATING AMERICA'S NURSES FOR NATIONAL NURSE APPRECIATION WEEK

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                            HON. PAUL TONKO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 10, 2019

  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I rise to celebrate National Nurse 
Appreciation Week.
  Since 1993, this week from May 6 through May 12, ending on Florence 
Nightingale's birthday, has allowed us to express our deepest gratitude 
and admiration toward our nurses, the beating heart and a major driving 
force of America's healthcare community.
  Despite its critical importance to our healthcare system, nursing 
continues to face critical staffing shortages from rapid job growth and 
a significant number of nurses approaching retirement--in fact, the 
American Association of Colleges of Nursing projects that we will need 
more than 200,000 additional Registered Nurses by 2026.
  Having enough nurses to do the job results in lower mortality rates, 
safer conditions for patients and a decrease in the average stay at 
hospitals. The fact is, nurses save lives, make healthcare safer and 
more efficient, and provide us with comfort and compassion during some 
of our most painful times.
  America's nurses are also on the front lines of our nation's growing 
opioid epidemic. In 2016, my team and I worked to grant buprenorphine 
prescribing privileges to Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, 
allowing them to provide needed medication-assisted treatment for 
opioid use disorder. Since that expansion, more than 5,000 nurse 
practitioners and physician assistants have become waivered providers 
of medication-assisted treatment, greatly expanding our treatment 
capacity, particularly in rural areas where doctors can be few and far 
between. If we invest in and empower our nursing workforce to their 
full potential, they can be powerful agents of change to help us turn 
the tide in this epidemic.
  We must champion and empower our nursing professionals. This week we 
celebrate America's nurses, whose endless dedication uplifts our 
families, heals our neighbors, and betters our communities.

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