Community Hospice & Palliative Care of North Central Florida Celebrates Nurses Week
Press release from Community Hospice and Palliative Care
Nurses Week takes place between Thursday, May 6, and Wednesday, May 12, and marks the 201st year of celebrating nurses. The week allows people the chance to acknowledge the nurses in their lives and provides an opportunity to thank them for the work they have done.
Community Hospice & Palliative Care employs over 386 nurses that care for almost 1,600 patients a day. Many times at the end of life, a nurse is the last person a patient has contact with, and the care they provide during this phase will affect the family’s memories of their loved one’s final days.
“Our nurse was my angel. She was the kindest and most giving person we have ever met, and she just felt like family,” said the wife and caregiver of a patient at Community Hospice & Palliative Care. “She knew my husband was going to go, and she stayed with him and held his hand. I thank you all every day for watching over him. I’m grateful for what you did for him, even for such a short time he was in your care, and I’m grateful he wasn’t alone.”
Nurses have played an even more important role over the last year, as our community and the nation dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic. They have regularly put their health and safety on the line to compassionately care for those who may be positive for the virus while also suffering from chronic or advanced illness.
“Our nurses are an integral part of our care team. We are blessed to have an amazing group of caring compassionate loving nurses. They are Community Hospice,” said Mary McElroy, Senior Vice President of Hospice Services.
Community Hospice & Palliative Care will celebrate by honoring their nurses with a social media campaign that will share messages of thanks from staff, clinical managers will give gift bags to all nurses, and marketing staff will be delivering donuts and coffee to some of the providers around the area.