Every year during the first two weeks of May, we celebrate National Hospital Week and National Nurses Week. National Hospital Day was created in 1921 as a way to encourage trust in hospitals in the wake of the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918. It was later turned into a week in 1953, coinciding with Florence Nightingale’s birthday to honor her role in revolutionizing hospital care. Likewise, National Nurses’ Day was established nationally on May 6, 1982 with a proclamation by President Ronald Regan, however has been recognized and promoted by the American Nurses Association since 1896. The day transformed to National Nurses Week celebrated each year from May 6 through May 12, again to highlight Nightingale’s birthday.

Please join Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) in saying thank you to all the staff as we celebrate National Hospital Week 2021 from May 9-15. Compassionate, patient-centered nurses make up half the staff at hospitals, like BBGH, and others work to support, treat, and ensure we continue to provide exemplary patient care. The collaboration of a network of professionals make the whole healthcare process work smoothly. It takes the entire team of strong individuals to strive to meet our mission to lead and innovate in healthcare delivery and community wellness.

Reflecting on this past year, the community was faced with such adversity in the wake of the worldwide pandemic and completely changed our lives. While we are not completely through the crisis, knowing more about the virus and ways to treat and prevent have given us new hope. At BBGH, we are using hope in 2021 to guide us to a better tomorrow and way to celebrate the great things we accomplished in 2020 through the efforts from an excellent team of healthcare workers.

The staff is grateful for the communities we serve, and it is our hope that you celebrate National Hospital Week with us. Help us recognize the tremendous efforts made by all of us throughout 2020 and into 2021.