Havre, Montana – May 12th marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Florence was a nurse during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. In 1860 she established a nursing school at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. It was the first secular nursing school in the world. Her efforts had a hand in changing the norms of health care across the globe. Much of her prolific writing was made available in simple English so that even those with poor literary skills could understand them. Making healthcare readily available to all classes of citizens, advocating for hunger relief in India and expanding the numbers of females in the workforce were all traits of her accomplishments.
National Nurses Week begins each year on May 6th and ends on May 12th as an effort to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of today’s nurses. This week long celebration was set in place by the American Nursing Association in 1990. Although it is seven short days in length, it is meant to honor our country’s nursing professionals for their tireless commitment 365 days a year.
“Northern Montana Health Care employs over 200 Nursing Professionals.” comments Brenda Sturm, VP of Patient Care Services at Northern Montana Health Care (NMHC). “We utilize these individuals in our hospital, in both of our clinics, and in our Care Center. Without these dedicated individuals, we would be unable to care for our community. Their contributions are invaluable to our organization and we choose to use this time to celebrate them.”
Several activities are planned for this week at Northern Montana Health Care. Snacks, meals and prizes will be presented to the nursing staff each day of this week. The nursing team will be celebrating each other by selecting one of their peers for the special honor of “Nurse of the Year”.
“What an honor it will be to be recognized by your peers as being exceptional in your field. Our nursing team is committed to positivity and celebrating our high performers. We are so grateful for a tremendous group of nurses that have the patients in the very center of their hearts. Hopefully through this outpouring of appreciation, our entire nursing staff will know the extent of gratitude we have for them.” adds Brenda L. Sturm. “It is a pleasure to serve with this team.”