Next month, hospital leaders have two opportunities to honor the women and men who are the foundation of all that you do.

 

National Nurses Week kicks off May 6 to celebrate the far-reaching yet intimate role nurses play in helping your patients feel better, heal faster, and stay well. National surveys continue to place nurses at the top when it comes to the most trusted profession, according to Gallup polls measuring honesty and ethics in various fields. It is through the actions and words of nurses that trust between provider and patient is developed, and this is especially important in Maryland, where our field has been working hard to anticipate the needs of patients and communities on a deeper level. And often it is the nurse who is able to forge the connection that puts a face to your organization.

 

Two days later, on May 8, National Hospital Week begins. This event aims to show appreciation for all of the dedicated people - nurses, physicians, therapists, technicians, engineers, food service and environmental workers, volunteers, administrators and others - who make your organizations work. Hospitals have long been viewed as trusted community institutions, even as the tumult of national health care reform and the care delivery transformation underway in Maryland has upturned hospitals' traditional role.

 

In this political season, pundits would say that hospitals and nurses have very high "favorables." That's a terrific starting point for any organization.

 

Plenty of National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week promotional tools can help you call attention to these events - two more ways to connect with your community and invite them to learn more about how your hospital is changing to meet their needs, and about the women and men who are responsible for that change. (For our part, MHA will be utilizing social media to spread the word about these events.)