Thank a nurse

Registered nurses in the United States constitute our nation's largest health care profession. The depth and breadth of the registered nursing profession meets the different and emerging health care needs of the American population in a wide range of settings, including the frontline of the pandemic.

The American Nurses Association, as the voice for registered nurses in this country, is working to chart a new course for a healthy nation that relies on increasing access to primary and preventive health care, and better utilization of all our nation's registered nursing resources. Professional nursing is an indispensable component of the safety and quality of care of hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients, and the demand for registered nursing services will be greater than ever because of the aging of the American population, emerging health challenges, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technologies, and the explosive growth of home health care services. More qualified registered nurses are needed in the future to meet the increasingly complex needs of health care consumers in this community.

The American Nurses Association and the Missouri Nurses Association has declared May as Nurses Month, with the theme "You Make a Difference," with appreciation for nurses' unparalleled impact during the pandemic, and their contributions to health care in general. I ask that all residents of this community join me in honoring the registered nurses who care for all of us, and that we celebrate registered nurses' accomplishments and efforts to improve our health care system. #ThankaNurse

DESMA RENO, RN, Jackson