WTOK-TV Meridian
National Nurses Day: Celebrating nurses as superheroes
Posted: Wed 4:34 PM, May 06, 2020
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - Anderson Regional Health System adopted a superhero theme for its observance of National Nurses Day.
Nurses were also treated to breakfast as a way of saying thanks.
In Washington, D.C., Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker and Utah Sen. Jeff Merkley, co-chairs of the Senate Nursing Caucus, also introduced Wednesday a bipartisan resolution making May 6-12 National Nurses Week.
The importance of nurses, doctors and other staff working in the medical field has been highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic but Wicker notes patient care and support is vital at any time.
“Nurses are heroes because of their courage and commitment to care even during extreme circumstances,” Wicker said. “Long before the current pandemic began, nurses in Mississippi and across the country have shown they are willing to risk their own health and safety to help others. Our resolution reflects the gratitude of all Americans for these health-care professionals.”
“As the husband of a nurse, I’ve seen close-up how difficult their jobs are and how important they are to patients,” Merkley said. “Mary, like nurses across Oregon and across the country, continues to serve, even with the added stress and fear of coronavirus. Nurses support and advocate for patients at some of the most difficult moments of their lives. This week, let’s all take a moment to appreciate and celebrate the nurses in our communities.”
Nurses represent the single largest profession in the health-care field, with an estimated four million registered nurses in the United States. While many Americans have followed stay-at-home orders to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, nurses have continued to care for patients.
Cosponsors of the resolution include Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., Tom Udall, D-N.M., James Inhofe, R-Okla., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Richard Burr, R-N.C., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., John Boozman, R-Ark., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., John Hoeven, R-N.D., Kamala Harris, R-Calif., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., Martha McSally, R-Ariz., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Steve Daines, R-Mont.