By Mowery                                              H.R. No. 803

         75R13688 BNL-F                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives takes pride in

 1-2     joining citizens across the nation in honoring registered nurses by

 1-3     recognizing May 6-12, 1997, as National Nurses Week and May 6,

 1-4     1997, as National Nurses Day in the State of Texas; and

 1-5           WHEREAS, Professional nursing is Texas' largest health care

 1-6     profession, and registered nurses form the largest segment of the

 1-7     Texas health care workforce, with 130,000 registered nurses

 1-8     residing in Texas and more than 100,000 actively engaged in

 1-9     professional nursing; and

1-10           WHEREAS, Registered nurses care for Texans every day in a

1-11     variety of settings and specialties, including fields such as

1-12     emergency care, intensive care, medical-surgical care,

1-13     anesthesiology, geriatrics, pediatrics, oncology, psychiatry,

1-14     obstetrics-gynecology, and public health; and

1-15           WHEREAS, Advanced practice nurses deliver outstanding,

1-16     affordable, and accessible primary and preventive care, often

1-17     serving traditionally underserved populations such as elderly,

1-18     poor, and rural citizens; and

1-19           WHEREAS, Today, the need for quality nursing care is greater

1-20     than ever because of the aging of the population, the expansion of

1-21     life-sustaining technology, and the  explosive growth of home

1-22     health care and other community-based services; and

1-23           WHEREAS, The care and support registered nurses provide to

1-24     patients as direct caregivers in a high-technology health care

 2-1     system is beyond price, and these dedicated professionals are

 2-2     indeed deserving of our respect and admiration; now, therefore, be

 2-3     it

 2-4           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas

 2-5     Legislature hereby recognize May 6-12, 1997, as Texas Nurses Week

 2-6     and May 6, 1997, as Texas Nurses Day to provide all Texans with the

 2-7     opportunity to pay tribute to the exemplary dedication and

 2-8     invaluable public service of registered nurses.