SR2359 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR2359 LRB099 23822 MST 51340 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Nurse practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who have advanced clinical education and training building upon their initial registered nurse preparation; and

WHEREAS, There are 222,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the United States, and 8,270 in Illinois providing primary, acute, and specialty care to patients of all ages and walks of life; and

WHEREAS, Nurse practitioners diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications and other treatments to patients through a caring, patient-centered, holistic model of care; and

WHEREAS, Citizens of our State and nation have great trust in the high-quality care nurse practitioners provide, resulting in more than 870 million patient visits annually to nurse practitioners across the country; and

WHEREAS, Five decades of research demonstrates the high quality of care provided by nurse practitioners; and

WHEREAS, Nurse practitioners have master's degrees, and many have doctoral degrees, as well as advanced education and clinical training and are able to provide high quality care to three or more patients per hour; and

WHEREAS, Nurse practitioners practice in settings including hospital inpatient clinics, private group practices, long-term care facilities, mental health facilities and many others; and

WHEREAS, Better utilization of nurse practitioners creates a more accessible, efficient, cost-effective, and higher quality health care system; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is proud to recognize and honor the service of nurse practitioners to our State; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare November 13 - 19, 2016 as Nurse Practitioner Week in the State of Illinois in recognition of the countless contributions that nurse practitioners have made over the past half century and will continue to make to the health and well-being of citizens in our State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the Illinois Nurses Association and the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing.