Full Text of HR0856 101st General Assembly
HR0856 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, May 12th marked the 200th anniversary of the birth | 3 | | of Florence Nightingale, a woman whose trailblazing spirit laid | 4 | | the foundation for nurses to be recognized for their work | 5 | | today; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Florence Nightingale was born in Italy to a | 7 | | wealthy aristocratic family on May 12, 1820, and she grew up in | 8 | | England; as a teenager, she felt a strong desire to become a | 9 | | nurse, although the profession was not considered respectable | 10 | | in Victorian society; despite her family's disapproval, she | 11 | | educated herself in arts and science and gained some nursing | 12 | | experience in Germany; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale was | 14 | | appointed to lead 38 volunteer nurses at a military hospital in | 15 | | Scutari, in modern-day Turkey, in November 1854; she | 16 | | encountered horrible conditions, surrounded by unclean | 17 | | hospital wards and more soldiers dying of diseases than from | 18 | | battle wounds; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Florence Nightingale remained steadfast, taking | 20 | | several measures to improve sanitation and hygiene at the | 21 | | hospital, including washing the linens, purchasing necessary | 22 | | kitchen supplies, and emphasizing handwashing with soap and |
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| 1 | | water, which was not widely practiced at the time; she was | 2 | | noted for caring for both common soldiers and officers equally; | 3 | | she earned her famous moniker "Lady with the Lamp" for checking | 4 | | on her patients by lamplight, often writing letters to their | 5 | | loved ones at home on their behalf; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Despite Florence Nightingale's efforts, the | 7 | | mortality rate continued to rise through 1855; she had | 8 | | mistakenly believed that nutrition and supply problems were the | 9 | | main cause of death, but poor sanitation and contaminated water | 10 | | were the more lethal culprits; she returned to Britain in 1856; | 11 | | she had learned from her experience, developing better sanitary | 12 | | practices in addition to more efficient hospital planning and | 13 | | design; and
| 14 | | WHEREAS, For the next 50 years of her life, Florence | 15 | | Nightingale prioritized the establishment of nursing as a | 16 | | respected profession; she wrote a book titled Notes on Nursing | 17 | | in 1859 that was written in simple language intended for women | 18 | | who were providing nursing care in the home to understand, and | 19 | | it is still regarded as a pioneering text; she also set up the | 20 | | world's first training school for nurses in 1860, which still | 21 | | runs today; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Florence Nightingale's bicentennial comes at a | 23 | | poignant time for nurses as they stand on the front lines of |
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| 1 | | the COVID-19 pandemic; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Nurses play a critical role in health promotion, | 3 | | disease prevention, and the delivery of care in all settings; | 4 | | and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Illinois has 185,992 registered nurses living and | 6 | | working in the State, of which 13,746 are also licensed as | 7 | | advanced practice registered nurses, and 24,763 licensed | 8 | | practical nurses, making nursing the largest licensed health | 9 | | care profession; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The care provided by nurses in Illinois is the | 11 | | primary component to a successful health care delivery system; | 12 | | and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, The inherent sense of duty nurses possess has been | 14 | | on full display in Illinois; they continue to serve as their | 15 | | patients' last line of defense, to adapt at a moment's notice | 16 | | as treatments and practices evolve to better combat COVID-19, | 17 | | and to champion the need to be with patients until the very end | 18 | | at the risk of their own health and lives; therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 20 | | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 21 | | we commend nurses for continuing the legacy of Florence |
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| 1 | | Nightingale in their continued care of patients and for their | 2 | | resolve during the COVID-19 pandemic; and be it further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That we recognize the vital role of nurses in | 4 | | promoting and providing health care to the residents of | 5 | | Illinois; and be it further
| 6 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 7 | | presented to Advocate Aurora Health, Amita Health, Loyola | 8 | | University Medical Center, Niehoff School of Nursing, Loyola | 9 | | University Chicago, Rush University Health, Academy of Medical | 10 | | Surgical Nurses Chicago Chapter #317, the Illinois Nurses | 11 | | Foundation, Lewis University College of Nursing and Health | 12 | | Science, all colleges and trading schools that offer nursing | 13 | | programs in the state of Illinois, and Illinois museums and | 14 | | libraries.
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