WHEREAS, registered nurses in the United States constitute our nation’s largest health care profession and are an indispensable component of the safety and quality of care of hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients; and

WHEREAS, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession meets the different and emerging health care needs of the people of Maine in a wide range of settings; and

WHEREAS, the demand for registered nursing services will be greater than ever because of the aging American population, emerging health challenges, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technologies, and the explosive growth of home health care services; and

WHEREAS, more qualified registered nurses are needed to safely and compassionately care for Maine people in need of acute and long-term care; and

WHEREAS, the cost-effective, safe, and high-quality care services provided by registered nurses will be an increasingly important component of the United States health care delivery system in the years to come; and

WHEREAS, Maine’s nurses worked tirelessly and under great pressure, facing unprecedented stress and burnout throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to keep Maine people healthy and alive;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the great State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the month of May 2023 as

Nurses Month

throughout the State of Maine, and I urge all citizens to show appreciation for the nation’s nurses for their contributions and accomplishments to improve our health care system and their dedication to our health

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this eleventh day of May Two Thousand Twenty-Three