Venice Regional Bayfront Health to Shine Spotlight on Clinical Staff During National Nurses Week
5/7/2018
Twenty-four gallons of ice cream, 700 individual gifts, and a Florence Nightingale Mocktail Party are a few of the highlights planned for National Nurses Week at Venice Regional Bayfront Health May 6-12.
Coinciding with National Hospital Week, Venice Regional’s administrators and physicians use the observance to recognize the diligence and compassion demonstrated by nearly 700 staff members who take care of patients at the hospital, Venice HealthPark, and the hospital’s affiliated clinics in the Gulf Coast Medical Group.
“During National Nurses Week, we pull out all the stops to celebrate our clinical staff, including nurses, medical technicians, nursing and medical assistants, clinical coordinators, and physicians’ assistants,” said hospital CEO Bob Moore. “We want to make sure they know how much we appreciate their efforts, so we dedicate an entire work week with festivities across all shifts.”
National Nurses Week includes the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the English nurse who became known as the founder of professional nursing based on her pioneering work during the Crimean War. Her habit of checking on patients at night earned her the title of "The Lady with the Lamp."
“This is my first Nurses Week observance at Venice Regional, and I’m so impressed with the plans for saluting the hard work of our clinical staff,” said Chief Nursing Officer Dawn Beljin, who joined the hospital last fall. “It’s an honor to take part in recognizing our talented, dedicated team.”
The week begins with an ice cream social on Monday in 540 Bistro, the hospital’s cafeteria, where some 600 guests are expected. Anyone visiting or working in the hospital will be welcome to sample vanilla and chocolate ice cream with all the toppings, courtesy of Venice Regional.
A highlight of the week is the “Blessing of the Hands” on Tuesday when the hospital’s spiritual team visits nurses’ stations throughout the hospital to pray over the hands that care for patients.
All clinical staff also will receive a gift, sponsored by the hospital and its physicians, but hospital officials wouldn’t reveal what the gift is in advance: It’s a surprise.
The community gets into the act, too. Wednesday evening, the Venice High School orchestra performs in the auditorium, followed by the Florence Nightingale Mocktail Party for clinical staff, complete with a flowing fountain of mock sangria.
Children attending before/aftercare programs at St. Mark’s Preschool and Laurel Nokomis School will share their thoughts on the importance of nurses by creating posters that will be displayed in the hospital lobby. Local businesses will exhibit in the auditorium on Wednesday and Thursday to share information about their goods and services with hospital staff and visitors. The Thursday session is focused on wellness.
On Friday, hospital administrators will serve lunch to hospital staff and visitors outdoors on The Rialto. Friday also will be the last day for clinical staff to “bid” on gift baskets donated by businesses in the Venice and North Port area. Staff will receive free raffle tickets they can use to compete for items ranging from wine and chocolate to gift certificates for car detailing, sunset cruises and parasailing.
“We’re thrilled by the enthusiastic participation we receive from members of the community,” Moore said. “By engaging with us in this observance, our neighbors demonstrate once again that Venice Regional is the community’s hospital.”
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