Candles were ablaze on the front lawn of Porter Regional Hospital as nurses of the hospital gathered to celebrate National Nurses Week 2015; a day of celebration centering around the birthday of Florence Nightingale, founder of nursing as an actual profession.
The celebration began with Chief Nursing Officer Terrie Fontenot reading the Florence Nightingale Nursing pledge and welcoming all in attendance to such a great kick-off to an even greater week ahead.
Chief Executive Officer of Porter Regional Hospital Steve Lunn then spoke to those in attendance, speaking highly of those being honored this week.
"If I had to describe the nurses here at Porter, I would first say they are empathetic and compassionate," Lunn said emphatically to the crowd, "They possess a boundless ability to overcome challenges while getting the job done and taking care of those in need."
After a great speech by Lunn, Porter County Commissioner John Evans went on to give the official National Nurses Week 2015 Proclamation, best summarized by its final command to have the residents of Porter County, "celebrate registered nurses accomplishments and efforts to improve our health care system and show our appreciation for the nation's registered nurses not just during this week, but at every opportunity throughout the year."
The celebration ended in a Blessing of the Hands by Porter's Head Chaplain, administering a special prayer with oil over the hands of the nurses and caregivers in attendance.
Practicing nurse Tiffany Orange was incredibly enthused to kick off such a special week.
"Celebrating nurses themselves is so important," Orange said. "It's not often that nurses are recognized for their hard work or long hours, so I think it's really important that we're being celebrated for this whole week!"
With over 350 physicians representing 50 medical specialties within the Porter Health community, the ceremony is a much-deserved celebration of all that these men and women do for us right here in Porter County. Alongside them, we also honor and celebrate the 3.1 million other registered nurses across the United States working to both save lives and help people live as the healthiest versions of themselves.
Thank you, nurses, for all your hard work!