RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, In 2019, the World Health Organization designated 2020 as the "International Year of the Nurse and Midwife" as a way to recognize the more than nine million nurses and midwives working in the healthcare sector around the world; and
WHEREAS, 2020 also marks the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, history's most famous nurse, and the founder of modern nursing; and
WHEREAS, Nurses have been named the most trusted professional in the United States for the last eighteen consecutive years; and
WHEREAS, More than 103,000 nurses, advanced practice nurses, and nurse-midwives live and work in the Chicagoland area; and
WHEREAS, Nurses make up the largest contingent ofthe healthcare workforce. These healthcare professionals are well-positioned to address and reduce healthcare disparities that exist in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse-midwives are known to be patient-centered care providers and advocates, and increasingly strive to provide care that is sensitive to the cultures and customs of individuals from diverse backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, countless nurses have delivered frontline care and comfort to COVID-19 patients, have served as conduits between loved ones and isolated patients, and provided comfort to critical patients including in their final moments of life; NOW THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, assembled this sixteenth day of December, 2020, do hereby acknowledge and celebrate 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife in the waning days of the year; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and Members of the City Council of the City of Chicago express our heartfelt gratitude for the especially challenging work performed by the nurses and midwives during unprecedented year within the City of Chicago and around the world.
BRIAN HOPKINS Alderman, 2nd Ward