Congresswoman Matsui Commemorates National Nurses Week with Spotlight on Local Nurses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 10, 2010

CONTACT: MARA LEE
(202) 225-7163

CA In commemorating May 6 May 14 as National Nurses Week, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-Sacramento) heralded local nurses as community heroes for their efforts in supporting public health. Representative Matsui acknowledged the thousands of hard working nurses which serve American families. Rep. Matsui is a co-sponsor of legislation in the House, H.Res. 1261, Recognizing National Nurses Week 2010.

Sacramento should take pride in our great health care providers and many of us owe great thanks for the region's growth to our nurses, said Congresswoman Matsui. These dedicated women and men care for our friends and families when we are most in need during times of sickness. From the school nurse we visited as a child to the caregiver for our elderly parents, nurses have made an immeasurable contribution to our society and for that I will always be grateful.

In honor of National Nurses Week, Congresswoman Matsui recognized the local women of the Sutter Transplant and Advanced Heart Services for their cooperative efforts to help save lives. Women like Sherry Bedoya, Post Renal Transplant Coordinator, and Carol Keating of the Cardiac Rehab andamp; Wellness Program, work to ensure that patients care following their surgeries will offer them the fullest future possible. Their work often gives men and women a second chance at life with their loved ones.

Charlene Taylor, Chief Nursing Officer for Kaiser Permanente's Sacramento Medical Center, not only serves the people of Sacramento but was twice deployed by the US Air Force during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Touched by her dedication to helping those in need, Congresswoman Matsui called Taylor A model American, one that Sacramento can be proud to call one of its own.

People may not realize that when they visit the hospital for medical care, said Ms. Taylor, It is the nurses that are there twenty-four-seven and around the clock providing vital care to patients.

Nurses have made great strides in recent history and are no longer doctors handmaidens, said Peggy Kearney-Hoffman, a Sutter nurse. We play an active role in our patients care and are more involved than ever before. I cannot imagine a more rewarding career, it is a privilege to have this responsibility and trust.

As the Lead Heart Transplant Coordinator, Kearney-Hoffman manages patients care beginning with the matching process, acting as a liaison with the donor agency, preparing the patient for their surgery, seeing them through, helping them to understand their special post-operation needs, and managing their care for the rest of their lives. For many of the nurses hard-working women like Kelly Guerrero, Sherry Martin, Julie Chester-Wood, and Alice Mix patients are much more than patients and become friends or leave a lifelong impact behind on their caregivers.

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually beginning on May 6, the birthday of Florence Nightingale and founder of modern nursing. The week is a time to acknowledge the tremendous service of nurses throughout the country. National Nurses Week is sponsored by the American Nurses Association (ANA).