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FROM STAFF REPORTS

Brookwood Baptist Health—including Shelby, Brookwood, Citizens, Princeton, and Walker Baptist Medical Centers—honors its nurses during National Nurses Week (May 6-12), an annual celebration that recognizes the value of nursing.

The theme this year, Compassion|Expertise|Trust, celebrates qualities in nursing that are perhaps more important today than ever before as nurses are serving on the front lines of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Nursing is one of the most rewarding careers, but also one of the most challenging,” Brookwood Baptist Health System CEO Tim Puthoff said. “During these extraordinary times, we couldn’t be more thankful for all of our nurses and the hard work they put in every day. This celebratory week is about paying tribute to them and the daily impact they have on our patients’ lives.”

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The year 2020, Florence’s 200th birthday, has been declared the Year of the Nurse.

“Like Florence Nightingale, hundreds of thousands of nurses stand on the front lines of a pandemic,” stated a release from Brookwood Baptist. “Today, as Florence Nightingale did in her time, our nurses’ represent a profession of advocacy and strength and are respected for their compassion and commitment to patient care.

“Nursing has been described as an art and a science that embraces dedicated people with varied interests and strengths because of the many opportunities the field offers. Our nurses have many roles – from staff nurse to nursing leader and educator to nurse practitioner – and they serve these roles with a passion for the profession and a strong commitment to patient safety.”

During National Nurses Week, hospitals and other healthcare organizations across the country are encouraged to educate the public about the role nurses play in caring for our community.

“Our hospitals recognize, acknowledge and trust the strong commitment, compassion, expertise and care our nurses display in their practice and profession,” Brookwood Baptist Health Chief Nursing Officer Robbie Hindman said. “Now more than ever, they truly make a difference in the lives of our community.”

In keeping with social distancing protocols and maintaining no gatherings of 10 or more people, Brookwood Baptist Health launched its Nurses Week 2020 social media campaign as a way for the community to share in highlighting and thanking healthcare heroes on the front lines.

To participate, make a sign thanking a certain nurse or nurses in general, take a photo of yourself holding your sign and submit the photo via Facebook Messenger using any of the hospitals’ Facebook pages.

Photos will be shared on social media platforms throughout Nurses Week and shared internally.