November 8 - 14, 2020: Nurse Practitioner Week

WHEREAS, nurse practitioners (NPs) serve as trusted frontline health care providers for patients in our state; and,

 

WHEREAS, NPs are working tirelessly to diagnose and treat patients with COVID-19 and to combat community spread nationwide, while grieving NP colleagues who have lost their lives during the pandemic; and,

 

WHEREAS, NPs work to expand access to care in underserved communities, end health disparities, and combat systemic racism in health care; and,

 

WHEREAS, in addition to providing high-quality primary, acute, and specialty health care services, NPs focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and health education and counseling, as well as guiding patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices; and,

 

WHEREAS, NPs are highly skilled practitioners with advanced education and clinical training built upon their initial registered nurse preparation; and,

 

WHEREAS, the confidence that patients have in NP-delivered health care is evidenced by the more than one billion annual patient visits made to NPs across the country; and,

 

WHEREAS, there are more than 290,000 licensed NPs in the United States, and 8,449 in Michigan providing primary, acute, and specialty care to patients of all ages and walks of life; and,

 

WHEREAS, better utilization of NPs through modernized state laws and improved system policies creates better health through a more accessible, efficient, cost-effective, and higher quality health care system; and,

 

WHEREAS, many states, including Michigan, have recently updated their licensure and practice regulations for NPs, granting improved recognition of and patient access to the outstanding care offered by these health care providers;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim November 8-14, 2020, as Nurse Practitioner Week in Michigan.