Message From the CEO

May is Nurses Month

Last week was National Nurses Week and my LinkedIn feed was flooded with celebrations and acknowledgments that included DAISY Awards and deep gratitude for caregivers across the country. It was such a boost all week to see the joy and pride on the faces of nurses nationwide and here in Vermont. I am fortunate to live with an incredibly talented 25-year veteran nurse, so I know very well the call to serve in this really challenging, but incredibly rewarding, profession.

The American Nurses Association will celebrate nurses throughout the month of May, and we should too. While we’re at it, we should keep the celebration going all year.

As you scroll through VAHHS Update this week, or any week for that matter, you’ll see myriad stories that range from rural hospitals across the country imperiled financially to violent episodes in our emergency departments to long waits for primary care to new programs that help nurses and aspiring nurses to skill-up while on the job. The take away from this smattering of news is that this work is complex and it’s taxing.

Those of us in the public policy space navigate it as best we can, because we know the impact of our work directly and significantly affects our nurses and other staff and providers.

Through it all, however, our caregivers show up and give as much of themselves as they can, every day, in some cases for decades, to care for their patients in their darkest and brightest moments. That is a profound gift. And we are all better and healthier for it.

I hope you’ll join me in offering your appreciation and support for our nurses this week, every week and every month of the year.

Thanks for reading and have a great week.