Nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses and registered nurses from across the United States will celebrate National Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Week, October 3-9, 2010. Senate Resolution 643, co-sponsored by Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D), and Senator Lamar Alexander (R) officially designates the week beginning October 3rd as National Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Week.
Nurse-managed health clinics serve as crucial health care access points for vulnerable and underserved patients in rural, urban and suburban communities throughout the country. This designated week will provide a national forum to promote the services offered by the 250 nurse-managed health clinics in the United States and recognize the contributions of nurse-managed health clinics throughout the nation.
“National Nurse Managed Health Clinic Week celebrates the work of nurse-managed health clinics operating in the United States. It also highlights the need for policymakers to appropriate $50 million to the new nurse-managed health clinic funding program that was authorized by the Affordable Care Act,” said Tine Hansen-Turton, chief executive officer of National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC).
Nurse-managed health clinics are led by advanced practice nurses, most of whom are nurse practitioners who act as primary care providers for patients. They provide primary care, health promotion and disease prevention services to patients least likely to receive ongoing health care services. This population includes patients of all ages who are uninsured, underinsured, living in poverty or members of racial and ethnic minority groups. More than 85 of the nation’s leading nursing schools operate nurse-managed health clinics, enhancing learning and practice opportunities for nursing students and other health professions students.
