WEST PLAINS, Mo – Ozarks Medical Center (OMC) is celebrating the service, compassion, and bravery of their nurses during National Nurses Week (May 6-12), an annual celebration that recognizes the value of nursing.
National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The year 2020, Florence’s 200th birthday, has been declared the Year of the Nurse. Like Florence Nightingale, hundreds of thousands of nurses stand on the front lines of a pandemic. Today, as Florence Nightingale did in her time, nurses represent a profession of advocacy and strength and are respected for their compassion and commitment to patient care.
The theme this year, Compassion|Expertise|Trust, celebrates qualities in nursing that are perhaps more important today than ever before as nurses are serving on the front lines of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During these historic times, we couldn’t be more thankful for all of our nurses and the compassion and hard work they put in every day,” said Lacey Carter, RN, MSN, Executive Director of Nursing, OMC. “This celebratory week is about paying tribute to them and the daily impact they have on our patients’ lives.”
The communities that OMC serves, look to nurses as a trusted source for hope and healing. After all, for nearly two decades, Americans rate the honesty and ethics of nurses highest among a list of professionals that Gallup asks U.S. adults to assess annually.
OMC will be celebrating Nurses Week by holding several celebrations that include personalized thank you cards from senior leaders, posters throughout the healthcare system, a pancake breakfast and pizza lunch.
Ozarks Medical Center is a system of care encompassing eight primary care and 17 specialty clinics, along with complete rehabilitation, behavioral healthcare, and home care services. While the 114-bed acute care hospital cares for more than 5,400 admissions, the entire medical system has more than 364,000 patient visits annually in South Central Missouri and Northern Arkansas. For more information about OMC, visit www.OzarksMedicalCenter.com.
