Paying tribute to our great nurses

When it comes to trust, nurses continue to top Gallup’s annual Honesty and Ethics of Professions poll, according to the latest results published earlier this year. Nurses have held the top spot every year since 1999, except in 2001, when firefighters commanded that honor in the wake of the 9/11. (In case you’re wondering, medical doctors and pharmacists rank second and third; telemarketers, members of Congress and car salespeople rate worst.)

Anyone who has visited the Boca Grande Health Clinic is sure to agree that our nurses are among the very best. That’s why I want to take time out to publicly recognize the nurses who are so essential to the Clinic and provide the highest level of quality care to our patients. A big thank you to: Natalie Cole, RN, Lindsay Dalton, RN, Jenny Maday, RN, Nikki Wildey, RN, Dana Pellant, LPN, Karen Trent, MA, and Laquanda Dixon, MA.

Formally recognizing the work of nurses began in 1953 when the request of a woman by the name of Dorothy Sutherland, an official of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, to proclaim a “Nurse Day” went unanswered by President Eisenhower. Then finally in 1974, a full week was designated by the White House as National Nurse Week, and President Nixon issued a proclamation.

National Nurses Week is May 6-12, with the final day falling on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Nightingale became an icon of nursing as “The Lady with the Lamp,” a title she earned while making night rounds of wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Nightingale set down on paper the principles of nursing, which formed the foundation for the very first formal schools of nursing in America.

Our nurses are special for so many reasons and to so many people. But don’t take just my word for it. Here’s what a couple of our patients have to say.

“National Nurses Week? How about National Nurses Year! And no better exemplified than at the Boca Grande Health Clinic. Totally professional, knowledgeable, attentive, compassionate and on and on. And ever so helpful, hopeful and patient with us patients, when we are in the midst of our concerns and anxieties that come along with medical challenges. Thank you for all that you do, and for all whom you be! ” – Robert Levine

“Thanks to all the clinic nurses for their caring attitudes and sunny dispositions, but a special thanks to Dana for making sure we get call backs and test results promptly…very comforting. What a great crew.” – George Castrucci

If you would like to join me and Drs. James, Kueber and Haly in recognizing our nurses, you are welcome to stop by the Clinic at any time to say hello and “thank you.” We know that many residents have returned to their off-island homes, so we have created a special page on our website to accept written tributes: https://www.bghc.org/about/nurses-week-2023/.

About the Author

Mark Driscoll

Chief Executive Officer

Mark began leading the Clinic’s operations in July 2020. He brings with him more than 30 years of healthcare experience in service line administration, practice management, managed care, and business development. His strengths as an entrepreneurial-minded, financially grounded executive with strong performance and achievement drive and exceptional team-building skills are invaluable in his role as […]