Join us as we celebrate National Hospital Week & National Nurses Week
This month, we celebrate two separate weeks in health care. National Hospital Week, May 8th – 14th, and National Nurses Week, May 6th – 12th. The National Hospital Association picked this year’s theme to be, “We are Health Care.” They couldn’t have picked a better theme as we all start to make our way out of our world’s pandemic. There were many difficult times through the last two years and the only way we got through was by coming together as a team. Especially here at Ephraim McDowell. From the hard work from our housekeeping staff, to our cafeteria workers, administrative team, physicians, and nurses, the only way we got through it all was by sticking together.
During National Hospital Week, it’s important to remember that the pandemic posed a threat at first, but through innovative ways we were able to continue to care for the health of our patients throughout a very troublesome time. Each surge of the pandemic brought with it a new wave of uncertainty and frustration, but we held strong and came together as a united system determined to care for our community. With the hard work of our healthcare team, we were able to continue to support, watch over, and stay connected to our community. We faced difficult times, but we persevered and are now coming out stronger than we ever were before thanks to the hard-working healthcare workers throughout our nation, and especially here at Ephraim McDowell Health.
National Nurses Week honors the contributions and sacrifices of our nation’s nurses. During our fight the last two years, the availability of nurses to care for patients was scarce. What was once viewed as an undesirable profession as a doctor’s assistant, has now become one of the highest in demand jobs in our nation. We couldn’t have continued to provide the services we did during the pandemic without our nurses. Nurses are focused, dedicated and specialized professionals with a wide range of skills that we can’t afford to go without, especially these last two years.
Many might be shocked to know that nursing used to be primarily a male profession. Women did not begin to play a larger role in the hospital setting as a nurse until the 1600s. In addition, most may be shocked to know that only 60 percent of nurses work inside a hospital. Schools, hospice facilities, and private homes are where you will find the other 40 percent.
These last two years have proved how essential nurses are, not only to the healthcare system as a whole in our nation, but also to our communities and family members, old and young, in the cities they serve.
Health care is a 24/7 system that requires many workers, including nurses, to work weekends, holidays and miss out on special family events. Nurse’s week serves as a perfect time to thank them for their work which oftentimes can prove tireless and thankless.
Join me this month as we pause in our now once again busy lives and celebrate National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week. We are health care. From the Associate who greets you at the front door of our hospitals, to the housekeeper who has worked to clean your room, or the physician and nurse who care for you. Coming out of the pandemic, I hope you’ll join me in thanking healthcare workers everywhere for their tireless efforts in keeping our communities and families safe during these trying times.