Inova Health System Celebrates Nurses Week

Hospital Events Include Mayoral Proclamation, Visits from Nursing Alums

Falls Church, VA  – (May 4, 2009) — Inova Health System announced today its plans for Nurses Week, an annual event that honors nurses’ multiple functions and recognizes their key role in patient safety. Nurses Week is celebrated nationally from May 6, also known as National Nurses Day, through May 12. “National Nurse Week” was first celebrated in October 1954 to mark the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to care for ill and injured military personnel during the Crimea War. Since 1974, it has been celebrated in May to coincide with Nightingale’s birthday on May 12.

“Our practice, based upon both art and science, requires a demanding curriculum followed by a path of life-long learning, long hours, physical and emotional endurance, and a commitment to those who need our compassionate and competent care,” said Patti Connor-Ballard, RN, ACNS-BC, PhD, interim Chief Nursing Executive, Inova Health System. “We have chosen to do what we do, and to do it to the best of our ability, because our patients and their families depend upon us.”

Inova will kick off the celebration on May 6 with a conference at the Edelman Nursing Career Development Center in Springfield, VA. The conference will feature five nationally known speakers, including Rick Edelman, financial expert and founder of the center. Following is a list of the activities planned for each hospital:

Inova Alexandria Hospital

• Historical display on the legacy of the former Alexandria Hospital School of Nursing (now Inova Alexandria Hospital). The display will include old photos, archived articles, uniforms and other memorabilia on loan from the Claude Moore Health Science Library at the University of Virginia
• Proclamation presentation by Mayor William Euille, City of Alexandria

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital

• Recognition breakfast for Certified RNs
• Pain-management dissertation presentation

Inova Loudoun Hospital

• Brunch for past, present and future nurses
• Luncheon for certified nurses
• Nightingale Walk for charity

Inova Fair Oaks Hospital

• Magnet pinning reception (in honor of the hospital’s recent Magnet™ designation)

Inova Fairfax Hospital

• Nursing Excellence award ceremony
• “Blessing of the Hands” ceremonies (a non-denominational anointing of nurses’ hands)
• Atrium Fun Fair

An appearance by Mary Brown, former Inova Fairfax Hospital nurse, will be a highlight of the Inova Fairfax Hospital Atrium Fun Fair.  Brown served at Inova Fairfax Hospital for 23 years, beginning in 1961. She is best remembered for delivering the hospital’s first baby on her first day of work, a mere five hours after the doors to the obstetrics unit were opened. Over the course of her career, Mary Brown’s personal commitment to each patient became a hallmark of the hospital’s Women’s Center. Today, the nursing staff at Inova Fairfax Hospital’s Women’s Center manages the fifth-busiest delivery center in the nation, with close to 12,000 babies born annually.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.