Governor Stein Proclaims Nurses Week

Nurses Week 

2026

By The Governor Of The State Of North Carolina

A Proclamation

Whereas, registered nurses in the United States constitute our nation’s largest health care profession, and more than 150,000 registered nurses serve North Carolina; and 

Whereas, the depth and breadth of the registered nursing profession meet the different and emerging health care needs of the American population in a wide range of settings; and 

Whereas, the North Carolina Nurses Association, as the voice for registered nurses in this state, is working to chart a new course for a healthy state that relies on increasing access to primary and preventive health care and better utilization of all of our nation’s registered nursing resources; and 

Whereas, professional nursing is an indispensable component of the safety and quality of care of hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients in North Carolina; and 

Whereas, the demand for registered nursing services will be greater than ever because of the aging of the American population, emerging health challenges, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technologies, and the exponential growth of home health care services; and 

Whereas, many more qualified registered nurses will be needed to meet the increasingly complex needs of health care consumers in this community; and 

Whereas, the cost-effective, safe, and high-quality health care services provided by registered nurses will be an increasingly important component of the United States health care delivery system; and 

Whereas, along with the American Nurses Association, the North Carolina Nurses Association has declared May as Nurses Month, with the theme “You Make a Difference,” to demonstrate appreciation for nurses’ unparalleled impact during the pandemic and their contributions to health care every day and to provide everyone with an open invitation to #ThankaNurse for enriching our lives and the world we live in;

Now, Therefore, I, Josh Stein, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim May 6 – 12, 2026, as “Nurses Week” in North Carolina and commend its observance to all residents.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in Raleigh this twenty-seventh day of April in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-sixth and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.