NEWS & EVENTS
congress recognizes frances payne bolton and 1943's bolton act
In honor of National Nurses Week, Congressman Steven C. LaTourette of Ohio's 14th district took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on May 7, 2009 to provide official recognition of the achievements of Frances Payne Bolton and the immense impact of the Bolton Act has had on the nursing profession.
The full text from the Congressional Record is below. You can also download the official document here.
IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL
NURSING WEEK
HON. STEVEN C. LaTOURETTE
of Ohio
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Mr. LATOURETTE. Madam Speaker, in honor and in celebration of National Nursing Week, I’d like to recognize the achievements of Frances Payne Bolton and the impact of the Bolton Act on the field of nursing.
Madam Speaker, the Bolton Act of 1943, introduced by Congresswoman Frances Payne Bolton, created the Cadet Nurse Corps. The Corps provided Federal funds to nearly 125,000 nurses during World War II to facilitate their training and greatly increase the wartime supply of nurses and care for American citizens on both the home and war fronts. It also significantly improved post-World War II nursing education, replacing the apprenticeship-type training approach in nursing schools with an academic approach and encouraging nurses to study related areas of public health, pediatrics, psychiatric care, and convalescent care. It further benefitted the nursing field by prompting attention and Federal financial aid to graduate nursing degrees, and contributed to the integration of African-Americans into the nursing field.
Madam Speaker, Frances Payne Bolton was the first woman in Ohio elected to the House of Representatives. She served fourteen consecutive terms and later served as trustee of Lakeside Hospital (Cleveland, OH), Lake Erie College (Painesville, OH), and the Central School of Practical Nursing (Cleveland). Trustees at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, named their School of Nursing in her honor. She died in Lyndhurst, OH, on March 9, 1977.
Madam Speaker, last year, I introduced legislation with the late-Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D–OH) recognizing the 65th anniversary of the Bolton Act. Frances Payne Bolton singlehandedly made sure we had enough nurses at home and overseas during World War II, and helped elevate nursing as an important and critical profession. I am honored to recognize her and her contributions during National Nursing Week, and I yield back.