[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         EMERGENCY NURSES WEEK

  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and Mr. Wicker, I 
rise today to celebrate Emergency Nurses Week and all of the nurses 
throughout the country and around the world working day in and day out 
on the front lines to care for those in need.
  More than 2 years ago now, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic turned 
our emergency rooms into battle zones against the virus virtually 
overnight, and our nurses fought that battle every single day. They 
fought it when they were understaffed and didn't have personal 
protective equipment. They fought it through a rise in violence in 
their workplaces. They fought it as tireless advocates for their 
patients, even while risking their own health and the well-being of 
their own families. And they fought it through exhaustion and burnout. 
These challenges came on top of an already existing shortage of trained 
and qualified nurses, a raging opioid epidemic, and a mental health 
crisis--and now a fentanyl crisis and the monkeypox outbreak.
  Our nurses are heroes, and throughout the week of October 9, we will 
join together to honor and celebrate their heroic work. They deserve 
all the respect, admiration, and support of a grateful nation--not just 
for 1 week, but indeed, every day of the year.

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