2023 -- H 6394
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LC002909
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
CELEBRATING THE WEEK OF MAY 6TH THROUGH M AY 12TH AS "NATIONAL
NURSES WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
Introduced By: Representatives Bennett, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Place, Newberry,
Solomon, Messier, Casey, McNamara, and J. Lombardi
Date Introduced: May 11, 2023
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, National Nurses Week is held May 6th through May 12th in order to 1
coincide with and celebrate Florence Nightingale's birthday on the 12th. She was a nurse who 2
became famous for treating wounded soldiers during the Crimean War, and for her efforts in 3
establishing nursing as a profession. She was affectionately known as "The Lady with the Lamp" 4
because during the war, she made a lot of her ward rounds at night whilst carrying a lamp; and 5
WHEREAS, This week is a time to acknowledge, honor, and express our heartfelt 6
gratitude to Rhode Island's brave, dedicated, and determined nurses who day after day and month 7
after month care for us; and 8
WHEREAS, Registered nurses in the United States constitute this Nation's largest 9
healthcare profession; and 10
WHEREAS, The depth and breadth of the registered nursing profession met and 11
exceeded the different and emerging healthcare needs of the American population during the 12
pandemic and in a wide range of settings; and 13
WHEREAS, The American Nurses Association, as the voice for registered nurses across 14
this country, is working to chart a new course for a healthy Nation that relies on increasing 15
delivery of primary and preventive healthcare and requiring better utilization of all our Nation's 16
registered nursing resources; and 17
WHEREAS, Professional nursing has demonstrated itself to be an indispensable 18
component in providing safety and quality of care for hospitalized patients; and 19
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WHEREAS, The demand for registered nursing services is greater than ever, due to the 1
aging of the American population, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technologies, the 2
explosive growth of home healthcare services, and the need to develop coordinated networking to 3
prevent and contain new and emergent widespread infectious diseases; and 4
WHEREAS, More qualified registered nurses will be needed in the future to meet the 5
increasingly complex needs of healthcare consumers in this country and across the world; and 6
WHEREAS, The cost-effective, safe, and high-quality healthcare services provided by 7
registered nurses will be an increasingly important component of the United States healthcare 8
delivery system in the future; now, therefore be it 9
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 10
joins the American Nurses Association in celebrating May 6th through May 12th, 2023, as 11
"National Nurses Week"; and be it further 12
RESOLVED, That this House moreover urges all the residents of the State to join in 13
honoring and thanking the registered nurses who have selflessly cared for us all, and to celebrate 14
their efforts and accomplishments in improving our healthcare system, not just during this week, 15
but at every opportunity throughout the year; and be it further 16
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 17
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the American Nurses Association, the United 18
Nurses & Allied Professionals, and the Rhode Island State Nurses Association. 19
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LC002909
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