Patients often recognize that a nurse is the health care professional with whom they and their families have the most direct contact. But they might not realize that nurses also are leaders in improving the quality of care and expanding access to care. This is why May 6-12 is celebrated as National Nurses Week, an annual opportunity for communities to recognize the full range of nurses’ contributions. Tift Regional Health System will participate in this celebration at both the Tift Regional Medical Center Campus and the Cook Medical Center campus on May 7.
This year’s theme, “Nurses: Leading the Way,” recognizes nurses as leaders at the bedside, in the boardroom, throughout communities and in the halls of government. The public holds nurses in high regard and trusts them to advocate for patients. For the past 12 years, the public has ranked nursing as the top profession for honesty and ethics in an annual Gallup survey.
“Nurses are special individuals who have chosen a career in Nursing in an effort to care for people and make a difference in the lives of their patients and families, serving not only with their hands but with their hearts,” said Carol Smith, VP of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer.
Nurses are leading initiatives to increase access to care and improve outcomes by focusing on primary care, prevention, wellness, chronic disease management and the coordination of care among health care providers and settings. These are areas in which nurses excel given their education and experience.
Wherever health care is provided, a nurse is likely to be there — hospitals, ambulatory care centers, private practices, retail and urgent care clinics, nurse-managed health centers, homes, schools, nursing homes, and public and nonprofit agencies.
Tift Regional Health System will acknowledge and recognize their nursing staff at two separate receptions on Wednesday, May 7. Both receptions will feature an official Mayoral Proclamation of Nurses Week from the mayors of Tifton and Adel. The Cook Medical Center reception will be held at 11 a.m. in the hospital’s board room, located off of the cafeteria. The Tift Regional Medical Center reception will be held at 3 p.m. in the hospital’s Dining Rooms B and C, near the 18th street entrance.
For more information about Tift Regional Health System or the Nurses Week Celebration, visit www.tiftregional.com.
