1-1                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 654

        1-2           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride in

        1-3     joining citizens across the nation in proclaiming May 6 through

        1-4     May 12, 1997, National Nurses Week and May 6, 1997, National

        1-5     Nurses Day in the State of Texas; and

        1-6           WHEREAS, Professional nursing is Texas' largest health care

        1-7     profession, and registered nurses form the largest segment of the

        1-8     Texas health care workforce, with 130,000 registered nurses

        1-9     residing in Texas and over 100,000 actively engaged in professional

       1-10     nursing; and

       1-11           WHEREAS, Texas' registered nurses care for Texans every day

       1-12     by providing high quality nursing care in a variety of settings

       1-13     and specialties including emergency care, intensive care,

       1-14     medical-surgical, anesthesia, geriatrics, pediatrics, oncology,

       1-15     psychiatry, obstetrics-gynecology, and public health; and

       1-16           WHEREAS, Advanced practice nurses deliver quality accessible

       1-17     and affordable primary and preventive care, often to the elderly,

       1-18     poor, rural, and other underserved populations of Texas; and

       1-19           WHEREAS, The need for quality nursing care is greater than

       1-20     ever because of the aging of the population, the continued growth

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

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

       1-23           WHEREAS, The care and support registered nurses, as direct

        2-1     caregivers, provide to patients in a high-tech health care system

        2-2     is beyond price; now, therefore, be it

        2-3           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,

        2-4     75th Legislature, hereby recognize May 6 through May 12, 1997, as

        2-5     Texas Nurses Week and May 6, 1997, as Texas Nurses Day in order

        2-6     to give Texans an opportunity to recognize and praise the exemplary

        2-7     dedication and invaluable public service of registered nurses.

        2-8                                                                   Ellis

        2-9                                  ______________________________________

       2-10                                          President of the Senate

       2-11                                       I hereby certify that the above

       2-12                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate

       2-13                                  on May 6, 1997.

       2-14                                  ______________________________________

       2-15                                          Secretary of the Senate

       2-16                                  ______________________________________

       2-17                                           Member, Texas Senate