May 10, 2023
It’s Nurses Week and Hospital Week!
Nurses are special and vitally important members of the healthcare team. They provide hands-on, compassionate care; they educate and advocate for their patients. They have passion for their calling to care for and serve others with empathy and compassion. They are dedicated and resilient. At Lee Health, nurses are not just the largest segment of our workforce, they are the heart of our organization.
This week, we join other hospitals, physician offices, clinics and healthcare systems across the country to celebrate and honor our nurses during National Nurses Week, May 6-12. This week is part of the American Nurses Association’s larger Nurses Month celebration, which provides healthcare systems and hospitals with even more opportunities to shine the spotlight on nurses’ significant impacts and contributions.
As a former practicing obstetrician/gynecologist, I valued the relationships I built with the nurses I worked with - the trust and camaraderie. Being a nurse is demanding and has been even more challenging over the past few years with the pandemic and then the hurricane. Watching our nurses in action and hearing stories about the ways they care has made me even more proud and appreciative.
In support of nursing, Lee Health is committed to strengthening and enhancing shared governance, which promotes nursing empowerment and shared decision-making between the bedside nurses and nurse/other leaders and ensures the voices of our nurses are heard and responded to in meaningful ways. Shared governance ensures that we demonstrate leadership at every level and helps make Lee Health even better so we can be the health system of choice for nurses to pursue their calling and grow in their careers.
This month, in addition to Nurses Week, we also will be celebrating National Hospital Week (May 8-14), which recognizes the work of all the people who ensure the smooth running of our hospitals.
Our hospital teams include physicians, nurses, therapists, food service workers, housekeeping and plant operations, transporters, volunteers and administrators (among others). These folks dedicate their time and talents to ensuring the availability of the leading-edge, high-quality, compassionate, exceptional care our community needs and deserve.
On behalf of all of us at Lee Health, I am proud to extend our appreciation to all of our nurses and everyone on our hospital teams. We are grateful for the work they do every day and night to care for and serve others.