BILL NUMBER: ACR 61 CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 59 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 25, 2012 ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 18, 2012 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 1, 2011 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 21, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hayashi MAY 17, 2011 Relative to California Nurses Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 61, Hayashi. California Nurses Week. This measure would proclaim May 6 through 12, annually, as California Nurses Week. WHEREAS, There are over 300,000 working nurses in California, representing the largest component of the health care professions in the state, whose charge is to care for and protect the public and to meet the different and emerging health care needs of the people of California; and WHEREAS, Nurses provide compassionate, culturally appropriate, and comprehensive health care to a growing and diverse population; and WHEREAS, Nurses are known to be patient advocates, acting to protect the lives of those under their care; and WHEREAS, Nurses are experienced researchers, and their work encompasses a wide scope of scientific inquiry including clinical research, health systems and outcomes research, and nursing education research; and WHEREAS, The depth and breadth of the nursing profession meets a broad spectrum of the health care needs of Californians in a variety of settings; and WHEREAS, A renewed emphasis on preventive health care and the early detection of disease requires improved use of the state's nursing resources; and WHEREAS, Nursing is an indispensable component of the safety and quality of patient care in every health care setting for every age group; and WHEREAS, The need for nursing services will be greater than ever due to the use of increasingly complex, life-sustaining technologies, the expanded leadership and practice roles of nurses in various places of service, and the critical role of nurses in responding to mass casualty management; and WHEREAS, The provision of cost-effective health care services by nurses will be an important component of the California health care delivery system in years to come; and WHEREAS, Over the past 107 years, California nurses have achieved life-saving gains in patient care and patient safety conditions for all Californians through sponsored legislation, public regulation, and collective action in patient care settings; and WHEREAS, California nurses worked for many years to achieve the nation's first safe nurse-to-patient ratio law that studies have documented to reduce patient mortality in California hospitals and help mitigate the nursing shortage; and WHEREAS, The safe, high-quality health care services provided by nurses touch the lives of every single person in California; and WHEREAS, Since 1999, National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 through 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That nurses are hereby recognized and honored for their accomplishments and efforts to improve the health care system in California; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature hereby proclaims May 6 through 12, annually, as California Nurses Week in recognition of the many contributions that all nurses have made to improve the health and safety of all Californians and to express deep appreciation to all of the state's nurses during that week and throughout the years to come; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature asks all Californians to join in honoring all nurses who provide the highest quality health care services to the public; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.