Q: What is National Nurses Week
A: Efforts to honor and celebrate nurses in the United States first got underway during the Eisenhower administration. In 1974, President Nixon issued a proclamation to honor the expanding role nurses were taking on in the health care system, such as nurse practitioners and those specializing in pediatric, cardiac, oncology and geriatric care. In 1982, President Reagan signed a proclamation to mark “National Recognition Day for Nurses” that observed the indispensable role nurses have in patient care, from intensive care in trauma and burn units to community health and home care, nursing homes and schools. Since then, grassrootsled efforts expanded the observance to National Nurses Week that continues today during the week of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, who is celebrated as the founder of modern nursing. Since 1991, I’ve supported an annual joint resolution of Congress to reflect on the important contributions nurses make in our society. With an estimated 4.7 million registered nurses in the United States, nurses are on the front lines treating sick and injured patients, including during natural disasters and public health emergencies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses put their own lives on the line to care for the sickest among us. The nursing profession continues to meet the moment in scientific inquiry, medical research and team-based delivery of care. With limited faculty and spots available for prospective nursing students across the country, I support efforts to strengthen workforce development and academic training programs. I value the feedback I get from Iowans to solve problems and improve the delivery of health care in communities across our state. I’m pleased the University of Northern Iowa last year launched a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program that will help address the nursing shortage across the state, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Q: How do Iowa nursing professionals inform your work at the policymaking table?
A: As former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I led efforts to ensure fairness for Medicare reimbursements that directly impact providers delivering essential health care in communities across out state. For example, requiring Medicare to directly reimburse nurse practitioners and other specialists is an important tool in rural areas to expand access to health care services. More recently, I’m pushing to improve advanced practice nurses and clinical nurse reimbursement for nurse practitioners in their diagnosis and treatment for diabetic patients. I’m also spearheading bipartisan efforts to provide rural hospitals with financial stability. My Rural Hospital Support Act would help prevent rural hospital closures by extending and modernizing critical Medicare programs for rural hospitals. Specifically, my bill would permanently extend the Medicare-Dependent Hospital (MDH) and the Low-Volume Hospital (LVH) programs. For many hospitals located in rural areas, costs often outpace their revenue. If hospitals can’t pay their bills and are forced to close their doors, nurses are out of work and patients would have to travel further for life-saving care. I’ve also led efforts to improve maternal and infant health across our state. At a roundtable discussion in Bettendorf in 2022, I heard first-hand accounts from health care professionals about the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Home visits from a nurse and other health care professionals provide important support and resources to improve health outcomes for at-risk pregnant moms and families with children from birth to kindergarten. My advocacy for this home visiting program reflects my longstanding support for health care professionals in our communities who provide evidence-based services to improve childhood development, reduce post-partum depression and help families thrive.
During National Nurses Week, I applaud the labor of love and patient-centered care that legions of nursing professionals provide around-the-clock, year-round to loved ones of all ages and all walks of life. Nurses are ranked among the most honest and ethical professions in society. I thank nurses for their tireless commitment to their vocation and encourage Iowans to celebrate those in your lives who have answered the call to this noble profession.
National Nurses Week was May 6-12, 2025