Whereas, beginning in 1991, National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Recognition Day for Nurses , through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing; Whereas National Nurses Week is a time of year to reflect on the important contributions that nurses make to provide safe, high-quality health care; Whereas nurses are known to be patient advocates, acting fearlessly to protect the lives of individuals under the care of the nurses; Whereas nurses represent the largest single component of the health care profession, with an estimated population of 3,600,000 professionally active nurses in the United States; Whereas nurses are leading in the delivery of quality care in a transformed health care system that improves patient outcomes and safety; Whereas the Future of Nursing report of the Institute of Medicine has called for the nursing profession to meet the call for leadership in a team-based delivery model; Whereas, when nurse staffing levels increase, the risk of patient complications and lengthy hospital stays decreases, resulting in cost savings; Whereas nurses are experienced researchers, and the work of nurses encompasses a wide scope of scientific inquiry, including clinical research, health systems and outcomes research, and nursing education research; Whereas nurses provide culturally and ethnically competent care and are educated to be sensitive to the regional and community customs of individuals needing care; Whereas nurses are well-positioned to provide leadership to eliminate health care disparities that exist in the United States; Whereas nurses are the cornerstone of the public health infrastructure, promoting healthy lifestyles and educating communities on disease prevention and health promotion