Honoring the goals and ideals of National Nurse Practitioners Week.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, nurse practitioners play a critical role in meeting our Nation's medical needs. Working hand-in-hand with other professionals, nurse practitioners improve the flexibility and responsiveness and efficiency of our health care system. Because of their focus on primary care, disease prevention, and counseling, nurse practitioners serve as health care first responders for many American families. From weight management, blood pressure, dangerous infections, injuries, nurse practitioners have the frontline view of health care in our country.

Nurse practitioners also improve the health care system's ability to reach underserved populations. As we all know, primary health care is desperately needed in many urban and central city communities.

As this resolution notes, nurse practitioners have been there to help meet this need. Twenty percent of nurse practitioners serve in rural areas. Forty percent who serve in metropolitan areas work in central city settings.

In this age of double-digit health care cost inflation, nurse practitioners help to improve the cost effectiveness of American health care. By improving patient choice of provider and by promoting competition, nurse practitioners help to moderate spiraling health care costs.

Nurse practitioner training programs were first developed some 40 years ago. A shortage of doctors forced State governments to innovate, and a few nurse practitioners were certified, mostly, in those days, initially in pediatrics. From that modest beginning, the nurse practitioner profession has grown to fill an important and vital role in America's health care system. There are now more than 100,000 nurse practitioners serving the American public.

I join my colleagues in urging the House to agree to this concurrent resolution celebrating those 100,000 nurse practitioners and marking the goals and ideals of National Nurse Practitioners Week.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 500) honoring the goals and ideals of National Nurse Practitioners Week.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the House Concurrent Resolution 500.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 500, honoring the goals and ideals of National Nurse Practitioners Week, introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).

The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners has designated the week of November 7 through 13, 2004, as National Nurse Practitioners Week in recognition of the many contributions that this dedicated group of health care professionals makes to the people

and well-being of the people in the communities they serve in this great country.

Currently, there are more than 100,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the United States providing high-quality, cost-effective health care. These nurses have advanced education and advanced clinical training, most with Master's or post-Master's degrees. Every day they, in coordination with physicians and other health care providers, diagnose acute and chronic conditions, prescribe medications, treat illnesses, and counsel patients on health care issues.

I urge my colleagues to offer their support to nurse practitioners around the country and to help us support H. Con. Res. 500.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), the writer of this bill, a gentleman who is a medical doctor, who certainly has practical real- world experience in the world of nurse practitioners.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for allowing this bill to come to the floor. I am aware that there are many of pieces of legislation that could have filled these hours this week.

Mr. Speaker, nurse practitioners fill a vital role in America's health care system. As the gentleman from Ohio pointed out, there are over 106,000 nurse practitioners providing high-quality care around the Nation, and they are especially important in rural and underserved areas.

These health care professionals are critical in my district, especially in areas of Fort Worth, Texas. John Peter Smith, the public hospital system in Tarrant County, maintains 23 clinics for low-income and indigent patients around the county.

Nurse practitioners are able to enhance the services provided in many of these health care clinics. By utilizing nurse practitioners, John Peter Smith is able to see significantly more patients in an outpatient setting and to do so on a finite, fixed taxpayer-funded budget. John Peter Smith and the patients served by the health system could not do without the dedicated corps of nurse practitioners.

And on a personal note, Mr. Speaker, I have worked with nurse practitioners both in a training program at Parkland Hospital and I have had several come through my private practice in Lewisville, Texas, who trained there and stayed on with me to work in private practice, Lori Driggs and Jenny Andrews, and certainly I learned a great deal more from them than I was ever able to teach them.

Mr. Speaker, on November 7 through 13, 2004, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners will recognize National Nurse Practitioners Week to honor the dedication and commitment of these health care professionals. I rise to commend nurse practitioners for the contribution they make to the health and well-being of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I simply rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 500, honoring the goals and ideals of National Nurse Practitioners Week. I also want to commend the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Bilirakis), chairman of the subcommittee, and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), ranking member, for the tremendous work that they do on health and health-related issues.

A great deal of my personal health care is provided by a nurse practitioner, and I simply commend her and all of the other nurse practitioners throughout the country who make up an integral part of our health care delivery system. And I would urge agreement to this concurrent resolution.