Celebrating Health Workers on National Nurses Week

With the start of National Nurses Week, the nation is taking May 6^th through May 12 to recognize the work that healthcare workers have done and continue to do during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To salute all the nurses who are serving on the front lines during this time of crisis, the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthetists has announced that this year’s National Nurses Week will be celebrated throughout the entire month of May.

With more than 34,000 licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurses working in all practice settings, FANA released a statement discussing the appreciation that the state of Florida has for healthcare workers and the important contributions they make to society.

In the statement, FANA President Jose D. Castillo III PhD, MS, CRNA, APRN, commented that “the hardworking CRNAs of the state of Florida are on the ground every day working to put an end to this pandemic.”

In addition, “during this month… we take time to thank those CRNAs, many of whom are volunteering their time to make a difference while putting their health and safety on the line to help those in need in Florida and across the country.”

Castillo concluded that FANA is “proud of the dedication of these heroes and we applaud their unyielding resolve to care for the people of Florida.”

For this week, three FANA member CRNAs were highlighted:

Gina Taylor Willaford is a CRNA from Cape Coral, Florida who has been working extensively in the COVID Intensive Care Unit at the Belleview Hospital in Manhattan, New York since April 6^th.

 

Jackie Lemm is a CRNA from Cape Coral, Florida and a graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University who took a leave of absence from her regular duties to serve on the frontlines at a hospital in Brooklyn, New York for 21 days.

 

Jonathan E. is from Fort Myers, Fl and a proud Floridian who is serving on the front lines at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Queens, New York.