[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6722]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL NURSES WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 13, 2013

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of National Nurses 
Week. Nurses are the largest group of health care providers in the 
U.S., with over 3.1 million professionals serving individuals and 
families in a range of settings. We work in hospitals, schools, nursing 
homes, research labs, correctional facilities, health systems, social 
service agencies and even right here in Congress.
   This annual tribute begins on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, 
the founder of modern nursing, and continues all week to honor the 
important contributions nurses make each and every day. In addition to 
setting aside time to recognize the work of nurses, each year a theme 
is chosen to highlight a different aspect of nursing practice. And this 
year's is incredibly timely: ``Delivering Quality and Innovation in 
Patient Care.''
   Whether it is helping one patient heal or working towards population 
level solutions to some of our most costly ailments, nurses are 
continuously innovating to improve quality of care. Nurses are 
patients' first advocate in improving their health; educating them 
about treatments and helping them navigate a sometimes daunting system. 
Using knowledge, compassion and skills, nurses not only improve quality 
of care for their patients, but can do so while holding down costs.
   For example, using nurse-managed care coordination reduces emergency 
room visits and readmissions, ultimately lowering Medicare costs. And 
as nursing staffing levels increase, patient risks of complications and 
length of hospital stays decrease, helping individuals heal faster, 
improving quality of life and reducing long and costly hospital stays.
   I hope you will join me this week in honoring and supporting this 
dedicated group of professionals who consistently go above and beyond 
the call of duty to provide better quality health care for all. As co-
House Nursing Caucus, and as a nurse myself, I want to say to all 
nurses who care for our families and communities day in and day out 
without recognition--thank you.

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