OKEECHOBEE – “Care – Lead – Inspire – Repeat” is the theme for National Nurses Week.

At their April 24 meeting, the Okeechobee County Board of Commissioners declared the week of May 6-12 as National Nurses Week in Okeechobee County. The proclamation was presented to Maritess M. Quinto, Southeast Region Director, and active member of the Florida Nurses Association, and Dorothy Watson Chief Nursing Officer of HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital.

“It is wonderful that we have an institution like Raulerson Hospital,” said Commission Chair David Hazellief. “You take such great care of us.”

“We as nurses are honored to be nurses. We are honored to be in this community and to take care of this community, each day and night,” said Watson.

The proclamation states: “Registered Nurses in the United States constitute our nation’s largest health care profession.

“The American Nurses Association, as the voice for registered nurses in this country, is working to chart a new course for a healthy nation that relies on increasing access to primary and preventive health care, and better utilization of all of our nation’s registered nursing resources.

“Professional nursing is an indispensable component of the safety and quality of care of hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients, and the demand for qualified registered nurses will be greater than ever due to the aging of the American population, emerging health challenges, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technologies, and the explosive growth of home health care services.

“Along with the American Nurses Association, the Florida Nurses Association has declared May 6 through 12, as Nurses Week, honoring the contributions and sacrifices of nurses in the healthcare industry. This year's theme is "Care, Lead, Inspire — Repeat" with appreciation for nurses’ contributions to health care, and for enriching the lives of their patients and the world we live in.”