WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA) took to the House floor today to speak in support of National Nurses Week and H.Res. 1086:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.Res. 1086 and in support of National Nurses Week.

“I commend my friend and fellow nurse, Ms. Johnson, for introducing this resolution.

“As we observe National Nurses Week I hope we can work together to raise awareness about important issues facing the nursing community.  The role that nurses play in the lives of patients and the public health, is central to the delivery of health care. 

“We know that nurses advocate for their patients and provide personal care at the bedside.  They are also community educators, primary care providers, and serve in our military.  But we are facing a terrible shortage of nurses in this country and are jeopardizing our ability to provide the best quality care.

“As a registered nurse serving in Congress, I feel it is my duty to advocate not only on behalf of my patients, but also on behalf of my fellow nurses.  As co-chair of the House Nursing Caucus, I was honored to be joined by 155 of my colleagues in a letter to the Appropriations Committee requesting additional funding for nursing education programs.

“These programs have trained thousands of nurses, but we are in desperate need of so many more.  And the fact that we are funding Title VIII nurse education at the same amount that we did over 30 years ago is, quite frankly, inexcusable.

“In addition, nurses face difficult conditions in the workforce – such as mandatory overtime, unsafe staffing numbers and hazardous lifting.  These conditions are directly contributing to our inability to retain many qualified nurses in the hospital setting.

“As our baby boomers retire and our demand for nurses soars, let us use this week as an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to our current and future nurses.

“Thank you, I yield back.”

Please click here to watch Congresswoman Capps speech.

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Pictured above: (center) Congresswoman Capps meets with Central Coast firefighters to discuss emergency preparedness.