We are sending a very special thank you this year to our nurses during National Nursing Week (May 11 to 17). In addition to 2020 being the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, May 12 marks the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale – the founder of modern nursing. Niagara Health's more than 2,100 nurses work hard every day, amidst the challenges presented by COVID-19, to provide patients and families with extraordinary care.
“Nurses work as part of interprofessional teams across Niagara Health providing high-quality patient care and working to maintain a safe environment for everyone at our sites,” says Derek McNally, Executive Vice President Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Executive. “We want to thank our nurses for their resiliency and dedication during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
We are also extending thanks to those nurses who have retired in the past year for their dedication and expressing gratitude to those nurses who mentor the next generation.
“We are incredibly grateful to our nurses for the impact they have on Niagara Health, as well as the larger Niagara community,” says Niagara Health President Lynn Guerriero. “The strength and perseverance of our nurses in helping to keep our community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is inspiring.”
To commemorate Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday and to celebrate the countless contributions made by nurses at Niagara Health, we are shining a blue light on our hospitals on Tuesday, May 12 from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. You can see the lights in the following locations:
- St. Catharines Site: Main entrance
- Greater Niagara General Site: Main entrance
- Welland Site: Emergency Department entrance
- Port Colborne Site: Main entrance
- Fort Erie: Main entrance
In addition, Niagara Falls will be lit blue on Tuesday, May 12 from 10 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. to celebrate nurses across the community and the Main Street Bridge in Welland will light up in blue, starting at 8:30 p.m. in recognition of Nursing Week.
About National Nursing Week
National Nursing Week is celebrated across Canada and draws attention to nurses, increasing the awareness of the public, policy-makers and governments of the many contributions of nursing to the well-being of Canadians. The week including May 12 is chosen as National Nursing Week to recognize nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.
