From Rep. Tom Latham –
Think of the last time you went to a hospital, a nursing home or any other health care facility. Now imagine that same facility without a single nurse. Nurses are the front line and foundation of health care in America – the caring people who roll up their sleeves to work with patients and their loved ones in times of crisis and need.
Our nurses work in urban trauma centers and rural health clinics. Iowa’s nurses are the foundation of a patient’s health care plan. It is a nurse who takes care of us when we arrive at a hospital. They’re there helping us when we get treatment, when we laugh, when we cry, and they’re there when we get better. And they’re also the ones who are with us when we don’t. Nurses have the strength of character to bring compassionate professionalism to some of the most difficult times in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.
Without a doubt, health care in this country would come to a screeching and disastrous halt without the contributions and hard work of registered nurses. This week is National Nurses Week, and I urge you to take a moment to recognize and thank the nurses in your life or who have touched your life. It’s a difficult job, but few professions do more to save lives and comfort the afflicted.
For countless Americans who receive medical treatment, nurses are the face of health care. Nurses spend more time on the front lines at the patient’s side than any other health care professional. Our nation’s roughly 3.1 million registered nurses make it the largest health care profession in the United States. Nurses provide quality care across a patient’s entire lifespan, and it’s impossible to overestimate the important role they play in the delivery of American health care. Nurses deserve our thanks.
Unfortunately, hospital executives who responded to a recent survey said they expect the new health care law to shrink hospital revenue, a development that would likely have a very negative impact on nursing. About 55 percent of respondents to the poll said they anticipate diminishing revenue as a result of the new law, while only 12 percent said they expect a rise in revenue. The poll was conducted by HighRoads, a health benefits management firm, and the consulting firm Sullivan, Cotter and Associates between November 2011 and January 2012. The survey illustrates the need for a better health care law that would get better results for nurses and patients.
That’s why I’ve long been a supporter of legislation that will reward nurses for the critical work they do while lowering health care costs for hardworking taxpayers. I’m a member of the Congressional Nursing Caucus, and I’ve held numerous nursing roundtables with registered nurses throughout Iowa, which resulted in common-sense solutions I introduced in Congress to address the nation’s nursing shortage. I’ve introduced my own health care legislation, HR 364, that represents a vastly different approach than the one contained in the new health care law. While the new law depends on expanded government authority and greater spending, my legislation will not raise the deficit and focuses on lowering health care costs for families. It’s my goal to make my legislation, and the solutions it contains, part of the ongoing health care discussion in Congress.
This week, I hope you’ll thank the nurses in your life for the work they do to keep America healthy. Without them, our health care system simply couldn’t function. They deserve a health care reform law that will reward their hard work and dedication. It’s time to recognize nurses and the vital contributions they make to American health care.
