R 223

2020 -- S 2885 Enacted 06/18/2020

S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

CELEBRATING THE WEEK OF MAY 6TH THROUGH MAY 12TH AS "NATIONAL NURSES WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

Introduced By: Senator Dominick J. Ruggerio

Date Introduced: June 17, 2020

WHEREAS, National Nurses Week is a time to recognize and honor this year's theme “A

Voice to Lead – Nursing the World to Health." It is also a time to acknowledge and express our

heartfelt gratitude to our State’s brave, dedicated, and determined nurses who are on the frontlines

day after day, working to save the lives of our loved ones during the global COVID-19 pandemic;

and

WHEREAS, Registered nurses in the United States constitute this nation's largest

healthcare profession; and

WHEREAS, The depth and breadth of the registered nursing profession have met and

exceeded the different and emerging health care needs of the American population during this

pandemic and in a wide range of settings; and

WHEREAS, The American Nurses Association, as the voice for registered nurses across

this country, is working to chart a new course for a healthy nation that relies on increasing

delivery of primary and preventive health care and requiring better utilization of all our nation's

registered nursing resources; and

WHEREAS, Professional nursing has demonstrated itself to be an indispensable

component in providing safety and quality of care for hospitalized patients and for playing a

pivotal role in addressing the concerns and quelling community fears during the current

pandemic; and

WHEREAS, The demand for registered nursing services is greater than ever, due to the

aging of the American population, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technologies, the

explosive growth of home health care services, and the need to develop coordinated networking

to prevent and contain new and emergent widespread infectious diseases; and

WHEREAS, More qualified registered nurses will be needed in the future to meet the

increasingly complex needs of health care consumers in this country and across the world; and

WHEREAS, The cost-effective, safe, and high-quality health care services provided by

registered nurses will be an increasingly important component of the United States health care

delivery system in the future; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby joins the American Nurses Association in celebrating the week of May 6th through May

12th, 2020, as "National Nurses Week"; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Senate moreover urges all the residents of the State to join in

honoring and thanking the registered nurses who have selflessly cared for us all, and to celebrate

their efforts and accomplishments in improving our health care system, not just during this week,

but at every opportunity throughout the year; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the American Nurses Association, the United

Nurses & Allied Professionals, and the Rhode Island State Nurses Association.

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LC005433

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