PRINTER'S NO. 1716
No. 172 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY BARD, E. Z. TAYLOR, ARGALL, ARMSTRONG, J. BAKER,
BARRAR, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, BELFANTI, BENNINGHOFF,
CALTAGIRONE, CAPPABIANCA, CAPPELLI, CAWLEY, CLYMER,
CREIGHTON, DALEY, DALLY, DeWEESE, DONATUCCI, J. EVANS,
FAIRCHILD, FEESE, FICHTER, FLEAGLE, FLICK, FORCIER, FREEMAN,
GEORGE, GODSHALL, HARHAI, HARHART, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS,
HORSEY, JOSEPHS, KENNEY, LEDERER, LESCOVITZ, MAITLAND, MAJOR,
MANN, McILHATTAN, NAILOR, O'BRIEN, PHILLIPS, PIPPY, ROSS,
RUBLEY, SANTONI, SATHER, SCHRODER, SEMMEL, STURLA, JAMES,
TIGUE, WALKO, WANSACZ, WATSON, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD,
YUDICHAK AND COY, APRIL 26, 2001
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 26, 2001
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the week of May 6 through 12, 2001, as "Nurses Week"
2 in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, The 2.2 million actively employed nurses comprise
4 our nation's largest health care profession; and
5 WHEREAS, By 2020 the demand for nursing services in this
6 Commonwealth and nationwide will far outstrip the supply of
7 nursing services; and
8 WHEREAS, The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently listed
9 nursing as one of the top 40 growth professions for the next ten
10 years and projected a need for 2.6 million working registered
11 nurses by 2005, an additional 800,000 registered nurses; and
12 WHEREAS, The nation's registered-nurse work force is aging
13 significantly, with the number of full-time equivalent
1 registered nurses per capita forecast to peak around 2007 and
2 decline steadily thereafter; and
3 WHEREAS, A 2000 Honesty and Ethics poll conducted by the
4 Gallup Organization indicated that for the second year in a row
5 the American public rated nursing as the field with the highest
6 standards of honesty and ethics, and 79% of Americans stated
7 that nurses have very high or high ethical standards; and
8 WHEREAS, According to a 1989 study published by the New
9 England Journal of Medicine, hospitals with more registered
10 nurses on staff and higher ratios of nurses to patients had 6.3
11 fewer deaths per 1,000 patients than hospitals without those
12 characteristics; and
13 WHEREAS, A January 2001 American Nurses Association Staffing
14 Survey reveals that registered nurses find deteriorating working
15 conditions are linked to decline in the quality of nursing care:
16 75% of nurses surveyed felt the quality of nursing care at the
17 facility in which they work declined over the past two years,
18 56% believed the time available for patient care decreased, more
19 than 40% said they would not feel comfortable having a family
20 member or someone close to them receive care in the facility in
21 which they work and more than 54% stated they would not
22 recommend the profession to their children or their friends; and
23 WHEREAS, According to preliminary findings in "The National
24 Sample Survey of Registered Nurses," fewer young adults are
25 entering the nursing profession, with data for 2000 showing only
26 9.1% under 30 years of age, representing a decline from 25.1% in
27 1980; and
28 WHEREAS, In 1980, 40.5% of registered nurses were under 35
29 years of age, compared to 18.3% in 2000; therefore be it
30 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate May 6
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1 through 12, 2001, as "Nurses Week" in Pennsylvania in
2 appreciation of the specialized skills and hard work of these
3 valued health care professionals; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives join the American
5 Nurses Association, the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association
6 and other nursing organizations, educational facilities and
7 health care companies and institutions in promoting the nursing
8 profession to our youth and recognizing the importance of the
9 quality of nursing care.
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