Hooray for Nurses

Baton Rouge

With Nurses' Week coming up May 6-12, I am writing to thank all "modern day Florence (and Floyd!) Nightingales" for being so integral to the teams I work with in providing holistic care to clients, as well as for being such great role models for all of us in reaching out to all those in need, so sorely evidenced by them in these COVID-19 times!

Nurses have always been such a blessing to all of us, especially as life-enhancers, life-savers and life-passers-on – the latter, especially, for those who have died from COVID-19 and for their families, many who were unable to be with their loved ones during such difficult transition times.

As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I particularly recall the late Jo Ellen Smith, RN, whom I never met. She made an indelible mark on me per my then first hospital work back in the late 1980s at the health center in Algiers that had been named for her.

Jo Ellen, who was unfortunately killed in 1973 during her generous outreach work to a nearby needy area, demonstrated care, compassion and professionalism – traits that I see all the time in my work with nurses.

So, if you are also blessed to see a nurse during this upcoming “Nurses’ Week” - or anytime, be sure to give them their well deserved recognition – maybe through a good, old-fashioned, handwritten card, a letter, an email or flowers, since we are all prudently social distancing.

Like RNs, LCSWs and all health-care professionals know what the hallmark to denoting our health-care performance and professionalism is: "If you didn't write it, you didn't do it!"

And in these ongoing COVID-19 difficult times, we honor nurses for their true dedication to not only “writing their love” to us so well by their actions but also for their compassion and love by putting their lives on the line for us and our loved ones.

KEITH HORCASITAS