Supporting those who help our communities thrive this month
IMAGE BY PIKISUPERSTAR
When our health and wellbeing are in question, we turn to those on the frontlines of health care to help us. During the month of May, organizations across the country honor the nurses and hospitals they work for in two separate awareness weeks: National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week.
Celebrating National Hospital Week
The institution of hospital has stood the test of time for more than two millennia—with incredible advances in treatment, research, patient advocacy and overall care. National Hospital Week, created by the American Hospital Association, is an opportunity to celebrate our hospitals, health systems and health care workers for the work they do every day in supporting and connecting with their communities.
This year, National Hospital Week will be celebrated from May 12 to 18 to correspond with Florence Nightingale’s birthday—a woman considered one of history’s first professional nurses.
Retrieving interesting facts …
In the United States alone, there are 6,120 hospitals with more than 916,000 total staffed beds.
Celebrating National Nurses Week
One of our most under-appreciated professional groups in America are our nurses. From the time of one of history’s first nurses, Florence Nightingale, nurses have been crucial to the health and welfare of our citizens. Nightingale believed that “well-educated women, using scientific principles and informed education about healthy lifestyles, could dramatically improve the care of sick patients.”1 This statement made by the “Lady with the Lamp,” a moniker given to her for making nightly rounds of the sick with her lamp, is still as relevant today as it was in the 19th century.
Nightingale’s birthday is a common theme here, with National Nurses Week falling on her bereaved day, from May 6 to 12—which is also part of the larger National Nurses Month. This year’s theme is "Nurses Make the Difference" and will be chalk-full of giveaways and other exciting activities.
Giving Back to the Givers
To help honor the incredible nurses located at hospitals across the country, Retrieve Medical Equipment is supporting several hospitals with donations surrounding their unique events.
“We love supporting great causes, especially those that honor our amazing nurses” said Randall Brunswick, CEO of Retrieve Medical Equipment. “Whenever we can give back, we jump at the opportunity. We encourage everyone to join us this May to celebrate our nurses and hospital systems across the country.”
Sources:
1: Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/science/nursing. Retrieved April 29, 2024.