Nurses and technicians support Fisher House

  • Published
  • By Lois Walsh
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Helping others is a credo that nurses share. For that reason, nurses and technicians from the 96th Medical Group spent National Nurses' Week making a difference.
More than 500 nurses and technicians here embraced the 2010 theme, "Caring Today for a Healthier Tomorrow," by collecting donations specifically earmarked for the Eglin Fisher House. There were also events spanning the week to highlight the contributions nurses and technicians make while providing patient care.

"In the military, our nurse and surgical technicians are an extension of what we do," said Lt. Col. Linda Case, acting chief nurse executive. "They are 'nurses' as well and are included in our celebration."

Colonel Case said five separate areas of nursing were highlighted: maternal and child; medical; surgical; health promotions-disease management; emergency medicine, deployments and aerospace medicine. Each area highlighted items of interest and did something special for all the nurses and technicians who work for the group.

Committee chairman, Staff Sgt. Dallin Bastian, a technician with the 96th Surgical Operations Squadron, said the committee wanted to highlight the role nurses and technicians make by giving back to the community.

"We thought of different ways and by consensus, a donation to the Fisher House has the most effect on the military families we serve," Sergeant Bastian said.
The Fisher House provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. Construction is currently underway across from Eglin's Regional Hospital on Boatner Road. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for fall 2010.

"Support from the nurses means a lot since the Fisher Houses and nurses are all about compassionate care for our families and patients," said Julie Thompson, Fisher House Executive Director. "They are helping us and serving the patient twice, in the hospital and extended to the family."

National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The American Nurses Association president, Rebecca Patton, said being a nurse is about commitment.

"Every day, nurses make a commitment to building an even more powerful nursing profession to address the complexities of patient care, reshape the work environment, and influence broader health policies to benefit patients and the public," she said.