A Special Message for Nurses Week
While it might seem coincidental that the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world during the Year of the Nurse, there could be no better time than now to recognize the value of nurses. The Year of the Nurse and Midwife was declared by the World Health Organization to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12. This is the first time the WHO has declared a designated year for anything. The designation was intended to highlight the contributions of nurses everywhere; to mobilize action to address the shortage of nurses worldwide; and, to reduce the effect that shortage has on the health of people everywhere. Ironically, in 2020 we find ourselves in a terrible battle, just like Florence Nightingale did on the fields of the Crimean war where she battled infections, unfathomable injuries, and mortality with shortages of supplies.
Day after day, month after month, year after year, nurses across the country and across the world are on the front lines, tirelessly and selflessly caring for others throughout people’s lives, from birth to death and the accidents, chronic illnesses and now a new pandemic that happens in between those two events. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting communities everywhere, so many more people realize how much we rely on nurses to carry us all through some of the most difficult times, both individually and collectively. Unfortunately, now, nurses are standing in for families when they can’t be with their loved one. Nurses are being recognized for the genuine heroes they truly are all over the nation and the world.
For over 35 years, API Healthcare has been focused on the healthcare workforce and on making the life of the front-line caregiver better and easier. We know that nurses are the lifeblood and the bridge to everything in the health system. We are 100% committed to making it easier for nurses to provide care through our staffing and scheduling solutions.
We also recognize, with equal appreciation, the contributions of nurses in many fields who assist the front line such as nurse informaticists, risk managers, quality specialists, inventors, small business owners, educators, and the myriad of other positions nurses have within healthcare. Nurses are everywhere. We know that the workforce is made up of individual people and teams, each with their own unique skill sets, talents, aspirations, and desire for a work/life balance. So, for us, workforce management is personal. Through our collaboration with you to build effective staffing systems, we feel fortunate to be able to help care for those who care for all of us.
To nurses everywhere, we give our heartfelt gratitude.
We invite you to listen this special message for Nurses Week from our General Manager, Julie Walker and the CEO and Co-founder of DAISY, Bonnie Barnes.