Pete’s Perspective: Nurses & Hospital Weeks 2022

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

Each year, the month of May marks two important celebrations for Salinas Valley Health. National Nurse Appreciation Day is recognized on Friday, May 6 and National Hospital Week is held May 8 through 14. We honor these two recognitions with pride in our profession and respect for all who serve in healthcare.

Salinas Valley Health is fortunate to have an exceptional team of nurses. They, along with their essential partners, keep the frontline of patient care running smoothly. We salute our nurses for achieving Magnet Recognition® in 2021, the highest and most prestigious distinction that a healthcare organization can attain for nursing excellence. Only 9% of hospitals are Magnet designated across the country. This is one of many accomplishments resulting from Salinas Valley Health nurses working together in their mission to heal, protect, empower and teach. We are immensely grateful for the 668 nurses who serve at Salinas Valley Health and the continuum of high-caliber care they provide.

Hospital Week is an opportunity to highlight every individual that works in every capacity within our healthcare system. Whether clinical or non-clinical staff, each plays an important role in caring for our patients and helping our community rise in health and well-being.

Two-plus years into the pandemic, Hospital Week is also a time to reflect on our extraordinary accomplishments during the global crisis. Healthcare requires special skills and talents in the best of worlds. During COVID, it required much more. Our STAR values of support, teamwork, accountability and respect served us well during this unprecedented time. With so much beyond our control, they provided a grounding: a foundation from which to build as we found new ways to support each other and our patients.

The pandemic has been a powerful force of change. It made the use of telemedicine commonplace and sparked a greater focus on the importance of mental health and well-being. It further exposed inequities in healthcare. And, it proved a stark reminder of the importance of caring for the caregiver. Guiding our community through the pandemic taught us frontline innovation, the importance of decision making based on data and, most significantly, compassion for one another. These lessons remain with us as we look to the future.

Healthcare is a demanding job. There is no doubt about it. It is also one of the most rewarding professions because of the difference it makes in the lives of others.

Join us as we pause – in honor, and with gratitude – to recognize all the individuals who dedicate their careers to the good health of our patients and our community. Good health is, indeed, one of the most important gifts in life.

Be safe and be well.

– Pete