WELLSVILLE, NY – In
conjunction with the 200th birthdays of Florence Nightingale and Susan B.
Anthony, both important figures in Women’s history, and the 100th anniversary
of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote, Jones Memorial
Hospital and UR Medicine have joined the World Health Organization (WHO) in
celebrating 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
At Jones Memorial, the celebration kicked off with a special
reception in the main lobby for all of the nurses with a banner, balloons, and
refreshments.
Each of the 127
Registered Nurses, 31 Licensed Practical Nurses, 17 patient care technicians
(PCTs), two Nurse Practitioners, and the nurse midwife received a pin declaring
2020 as the year of the Nurse and Midwife. “We are excited about celebrating
the Year of the Nurse and Midwife,” said Donna Bliven, Chief Nursing Officer at
Jones Memorial, and a nurse for over 40 years. “It’s so important to focus on
the vital part nurses play in health care, and to encourage future nurses to
choose this field, which offers meaningful and important work in a variety of
settings.” Nursing careers are diverse and include bedside nursing, leadership,
education, and research and encompass primary care and a broad spectrum of
specialties.
Nurses are the
largest workforce in health care and are a critical part of the health care
team. “Nurse are special people who are passionate about the work they do,”
said Karen Davis, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, and Chief Nursing Executive at UR Medicine.
“This is an opportunity to highlight them and tell their stories.”
According to the WHO, the world needs 9 million more nurses
and midwives if it is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. WHO also
notes there are currently more than 20 million nurses in the world, and
according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) there are
currently 3.8 million registered nurses in the United States. WHO and partners, including the International
Confederation of Midwives (ICM), International Council of Nurses (ICN), Nursing
Now and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are collaborating in plans
to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, highlight the challenging
conditions they often face, and advocate for increased investments in the
nursing and midwifery workforce.
The World Health Organization will release a State of the
World's Nursing Report on World Health Day, April 7, 2020. The report aims to
provide evidence to make a stronger case for governments to invest in nursing.
