Every day, hundreds of thousands of nurses wake up and go to work without knowing what the day has in store. However, whether it is something as life-threatening as a heart attack or as simple as a child’s scraped knee, it is guaranteed that compassion, commitment, and tireless effort will be given to the patient. This is the essence of what it means to be nurse and why they are so valuable to our communities—regardless of the situation, doctors and patients alike can always rely on them to get the job done.

Nurses are the backbone of our nation’s medical system, yet their job is often done without thanks. That is why we celebrate National Nurses Week every year from May 6th to May 12th. Beginning on RN Recognition Day and ending on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, National Nurses Week gives us all an opportunity to thank nurses for their constant compassion and dedication to our well-being. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating them.

Nurses are present in every part of our communities’ healthcare systems, providing support and expertise wherever they are stationed. Here in House District 19, we see nurses not only in our hospitals but in our nursing homes, schools, and other public facilities ready to respond to any medical emergency. Their constant presence is necessary to making our healthcare system as seamless and effective as it has become today.

That is why State Representative Terry Johnson and I recently presented a resolution on the House floor to officially recognize National Nurses Week in the state of Ohio. Paula Anderson, president of the board of the Ohio Nurses Association, accepted it on behalf of our state’s nurses. This shows just how we can all come together as one to recognize nurses and thank them for the compassion and dedication they show every day.

There are nearly 3.1 million registered nurses and more than 240,000 advanced practice nurses employed in the U.S. today, making nursing the largest healthcare profession. With nurses playing such a visible and essential role in our medical system, I feel passionately about officially recognizing them for their hard work and dedication.

As we go about our daily lives during Nurses Week and throughout the month, I challenge us all to keep the unending service and dedication of nurses in our hearts and minds. Whether taking care of a loved one or providing guidance and care in the emergency room, nurses have affected all of our lives in some way.

Nurses have been ever-present since the founding of modern nursing by Florence Nightingale, always there to guide us through the maze of the world of medicine. I hope we can all continue to join together and honor our communities’ nurses as one.