With photo: VNA roses & cutline

Nurses Honored Nationwide And Locally

The work of America’s 2.9 million registered nurses to save lives and to maintain the health of millions of individuals is the focus of this year’s National Nurses Week, celebrated annually May 6–12 throughout the United States. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has declared the 2006 theme to be “Nurses: Strength, Commitment, Compassion.”

Annually, National Nurses Week begins on May 6, marked as RN Recognition Day, and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as a modern profession.

“As a nurse myself, I want people to know that nursing provides its trained professionals with limitless opportunities to achieve,” said DPH Deputy Commissioner Norma Gyle, RN, PhD. “The flexibility of nursing is enormous, and the satisfaction of doing for others cannot be measured.”

In Newtown, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal issued a citation in recognition of all local nurses. And late last week, Mae Schmidle and Rebecca Smith of the Newtown Visiting Nurses Association honored fellow nursing professionals from the Bethel VNA for their assistance here in Newtown.

“We’re presenting red roses to Kathryn Munro, the former nurse here at the Children’s Adventure Center, and Denise Ewer who will be taking her place,” Ms Smith told The Bee. The Bethel VNA nurses administer children’s immunization reviews at the local municipal child care center.

According to Ms Schmidle, while the Newtown VNA acts as an administrative organization with several nurses volunteering for specific events and at the Kevin’s Community Center clinic, the Bethel VNA provides nurses who conduct hands-on activities including blood pressure and cholesterol screenings at the Newtown Senior Center.

“These VNA nurses are the lifeblood of our local health care network,” Ms Schmidle said. “Our nurses have been making a difference in the lives of Newtown residents since 1918 when the Newtown VNA was formally organized.”

Traditionally, National Nurses Week is devoted to highlighting the diverse ways in which registered nurses, the largest health care profession, are working to improve health care. From bedside nursing in hospitals and long-term care facilities to the halls of research institutions, state legislatures, and Congress, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession is meeting the expanding health care needs of American society.

Through its 54 constituent member associations, the ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting economic and general welfare, promoting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and lobbying Congress and the regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.