Nurses work together for a healthy Bermuda

Senator Lynne Woolridge, Junior Minister of Health, delivered the proclamation for Nurses Day 2014:

Proclamation

NURSES DAY

12 MAY 2014

WHEREAS, the nearly 700 nurses in Bermuda comprise our Islands’ largest healthcare profession, and

WHEREAS, the depth and breadth of the nursing profession meet the different and emerging healthcare needs of the Bermuda population in a wide range of settings, and

WHEREAS, the demand for nursing services will be greater than ever because of the aging of the Bermuda population, the continuing expansion of life-sustaining technology, and the need for growth in home healthcare services, and

WHEREAS, despite the present economic climate, nurses are renowned for developing innovative solutions to promoting health, by being well placed to supply important information about context, different systems, population group needs, and the role of local politics and social factors. This understanding is vital to not only the constant review of current practices, and ensuring the effective and efficient implementation of health care services and delivery systems, but also to local service innovation and the development of new ways of working, with the added commitment to the development of an environment conducive to evidence informed decision making and practice, and

WHEREAS, professional nursing has been demonstrated to be an indispensable component in the safety and quality of care of all persons, and

WHEREAS, more qualified registered nurses will be needed in the future to meet the increasingly complex needs of healthcare consumers in this community, and

WHEREAS, the Bermuda Nurses Association, as the voice of the registered nurses of this country, and the Ministry of Health and Environment, continue to work together to chart a new course for a healthy nation that relies on increased delivery of high quality evidence based primary and preventative healthcare, and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Senator Lynne Woolridge, Junior Minister of Health, in celebration of the high quality of care delivered by the nurses of Bermuda, and the consistent striving towards an innovative and collaborative approach to delivering quality health care to this community, do hereby declare this day, Monday 12th of May as 2014 International Nurses Day, and the month of May as Nurses Month, celebrating the theme set by the International Council of Nurses,

NURSES: A FORCE FOR CHANGE A VITAL RESOURCE FOR HEALTH

Signed this day, Monday, May 12th, 2014

Senator Lynne Woolridge

Junior Minister of Health