Photo By Macy Harris | DAISY Award nominees gather at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Pearl...... read more read more
Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Pearl Harbor (NMRTC-PH) celebrated National Nurses Week May 6-12, 2021 in a COVID-19 restricted environment for the second consecutive year. While the celebration looked different than pre-COVID times, a pandemic didn’t keep the command from recognizing their nurses and the high quality care they provide patients.
The Nurses Week planning committee worked alongside the command nurses association to organize activities and events for all nurses.
“The goal was to put together a week filled with activities to express our gratitude for all nurses for what we do each and every day,” said Capt. Andrea Petrovanie-Green, Quality Department Head at NMRTC-PH. “We wanted to make this a memorable and fun event which is needed after the year we have experienced.”
Nurses Week kicked off with a Joint Service Nurse’s Association virtual 5K run/walk. This first-ever opportunity for NMRTC-PH Nurses Week promoted staying active during COVID-19 restrictions.
“Despite the challenges of COVID-19, we have a commitment to health and personal wellness,” said Petrovanie-Green. “I thought a Joint Services Virtual 5K Run/Walk to commemorate Nurses Week would be an opportunity to message the importance of physical activity.”
Flyers advertising the public event were posted in clinic spaces, sent out via e-mail, and shared on social media platforms to promote max participation. The event allowed individuals to complete the 5K on the Nike Run phone application anywhere and anytime from May 6-12, 2021. A $20 sign-up fee included a coin and donation to a scholarship for a nursing student at Hawaii Pacific University.
The celebrations continued throughout the week. A Nurses Week appreciation breakfast and blessing of the hands ceremony were held at each of the branch clinics. While these celebrations aren’t new to Nurses Week this year, adjustments were made to ensure the safety of attendees amidst the pandemic.
“The main differences we saw this year were limiting the number of people at each event, social distancing, hand hygiene, mask wear, and pre-packaging food items to protect our staff,” said Lt. Cmdr. Christina Carter, Director of Healthcare Business at NMRTC-PH and Nurses Week planning committee member. “We established a schedule of events at each branch clinic instead of combining events at one location.”
The week concluded with another first this year. The inaugural DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award Ceremony was held on May 12, 2021 in the NMRTC-PH headquarters courtyard. The DAISY Award is an opportunity to honor and celebrate the skillful, compassionate care nurses provide every day. J. Patrick Barnes died from complications of his auto-immune disease in 1999 at age 33. His family founded The DAISY Foundation in his honor. This yearly award gives patients and staff an opportunity to recognize a nurse that made a difference in their life by thanking them in a public away.
The NMRTC-PH DAISY Award was awarded to Registered Nurse Mary Johnson, breast cancer educator and navigator for Naval Health Clinic Hawaii. Johnson was nominated by one of her patients, Ms. Jesenia Rosemeyer who attended the ceremony and accepted the award on her behalf as Johnson was unable to attend. Rosemeyer shared her story and read her nomination form aloud.
“I could not have gotten through my breast cancer journey without Mary,” explained Rosemeyer. “I felt extremely scared and alone. I did not have anyone to talk to or anyone I could relate to…I was told there was a support group and to call Mary to see when they met. From the moment I spoke to Mary, I felt a sense of peace…Mary has been there to answer questions about my care or to talk to when I feel scared. Even though I am done with chemo and radiation, I still love catching up with Mary and other breast cancer women during our meetings. These meetings let us know about medical treatments, survivor follow-up appointments, and support. Mary Johnson is a source of information, medical advocate, and comforting hand for all the breast cancer women whom she helps.”
The DAISY Award committee unanimously selected Johnson for the award and presented Rosemeyer with a lei of Hawaiian flowers and a hand-carved stone sculpture entitled, A Healer’s Touch, to pass on to Johnson. Following the ceremony, award nominees and guests were invited to enjoy cinnamon rolls at a small reception. Cinnamon rolls were a favorite of Patrick’s during his illness and the Barnes family asked that cinnamon rolls be served at each DAISY Award ceremony.
“There are several reasons why the DAISY Foundation asks that cinnamon rolls be served at DAISY celebrations,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jerry Brown, Clinic Manager at Branch Health Clinic (BHC) Kaneohe Bay. “First, when Pat was ill, he had lost his appetite until one morning, when he asked for a bite of a cinnamon roll that his dad had brought for his own breakfast. Pat ended up eating the whole thing. As his family was leaving that evening, Pat asked that they bring him a cinnamon roll the next day and to be sure to bring in enough for all his nurses. Those cinnamon rolls were Pat’s ‘thank you’ to his nurses, and the Foundation wants all nurses to share in his favorite treat as a gift of gratitude.”
Now, NMRTC-PH is one of over 4,3000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing internationally committed to honoring their nurses with The DAISY Award. Johnson joined the over 136,000 DAISY Award nurses honored and over 1,600,000 nominations written. The DAISY Award banner now hangs in Johnson’s work area until a new awardee is selected next year.
This year’s theme for National Nurse’s Week is “Unified, Reliable, Ready,” which focuses on the important role Department of Defense nurses specifically play in maintaining military readiness, protecting service members and their families, and the national response to COVID-19. While National Nurses Week concluded on May 12, Florence Nightingale’s Birthday, the festivities extended to May 13 for Navy nurses who celebrated the 113th birthday of the Navy Nurse Corps this year.
BHC Makalapa, BHC Kaneohe Bay, and Shipyard Clinic each held a cake cutting ceremony to allow smaller groups to gather in celebration. Navy Nurse Corps 113th Birthday Messages were read aloud. Included was the letter written by Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, Chief of Burueau of Medicine and Surgery.
“It is my great honor and privilege to wish the over 4,000 men and women of the Navy Nurse Corps, both Active and Reserves, a very happy 113th birthday,” said Gillingham. “As the nation and world continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization declared 2020, and extended to 2021 the International Year of the Nurse in direct recognition of the brave nurses who have unselfishly put themselves in harms way to care for those severely affected by the virus. Navy Nurses have held the hands of those ill and injured through wars, conflicts, and pandemics for 113 years. Always ready to serve our Sailors and Marines and expertly train our Hospital Corpsman in faithful service to the nation.”
COVID-19 couldn’t stop NMRTC-PH from recognizing and encouraging their nurses during Nurses Week 2021. Nurses lifted one another up and reflected on their reasons why they show up for their patients every day.
“It is such a rewarding profession that involves serving others and often requires some self-sacrifice,” said Carter. “This week allows us to reflect on those accomplishments and reminds me of the reason I became a nurse.”
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2021 15:10 |
| Story ID: | 396857 |
| Location: | HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 424 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, COVID-19 Didn’t Stop Nurse’s Week, by Macy Harris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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