Three cheers for nurses! Although National Nurses Week will be coming to an end on Tuesday, May 12, the American Nurses Association will be celebrating nurses through the end of the month. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as “The Year of the Nurse.”
Obviously, there has been little time for celebration, as America’s nurses have been working harder than ever to keep us healthy in hospitals, nursing homes and doctors offices in the war against COVID-19. But that’s what nurses do, and they do it because they love it. It’s the reason they became nurses in the first place.
Read More: Daily heroism of frontline healthcare workers more apparent than ever
Since the days of Florence Nightingale, nurses have put their own health and safety risks aside, in times of war and disaster, to help those in need—and they do it with compassion, expertise, and trust (three values that, together, comprise the theme for National Nurses Week this year).
So, what do you do to thank a nurse who helped you regain your health, or maybe even saved your life? A simple “thank you” is often enough if delivered in person. You could send a card or share your positive thoughts on social media.
On a larger scale, Mike Kuhn of WellSpan Health was looking for a way to honor the health system’s nursing staff. Then he found Wayne Hagy, who teaches commercial art and design at Lebanon County Career & Technology Center (LCCTC).
Three of Hagy’s senior students—Makayla Sherrid, Mia Reigert, and Kassandra Vega—created three billboards for outdoor advertising. These big posters were digitized and will be rotating on the Lamar Digital billboard in the 2500 block of West Cumberland Street. They are visible to westbound traffic on the south side of Rt. 422, across the street from AutoZone, and will be up until at least the end of National Nurses Week.
Smaller versions of the billboards are also being distributed throughout the WellSpan health system. The entire project was funded by donations from the staff at LCCTC, and excess funds were donated to local food banks.
To all the RNs, LPNs and CNAs across the Lebanon Valley: We’d like to give you a raise and lighten your workload, but for now, a sincere “thank you” will have to do.
Read all of LebTown’s COVID-19 coverage here.
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Full Disclosure: WellSpan Health is an advertiser on LebTown. LebTown does not make editorial decisions based on advertising relationships and advertisers do not receive special editorial treatment. Learn more about advertising with LebTown here.