Local nurse practitioners recently celebrated Nurse Practitioner Week, set as Nov. 13-19 in the United States, with a proclamation signed by Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad.

There are 222,000 nurse practitioners licensed in the U.S., and nurse practitioners have been providing primary care for more than 50 years.

NPs are proven, expert, patient-centered clinicians, and they are the health care providers of choice for many people because of their unique combination of medical and nursing expertise and skills.

NPs diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, infections and injuries; they order, perform, interpret and supervise diagnostic tests such as lab work and X-rays; and they prescribe medications and other treatments. In addition, NPs partner with their patients, providing health education and counseling, thus guiding patients to make smarter health and lifestyle choices, which ultimately may lead to reduced health care costs.