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As this nation takes time to celebrate this special week, National Nurses Week May 6-12, to honor nurses, Rick Smith, Troy Regional Medical Center Chief Executive Officer, said he wants to thank the Troy Regional nursing team and all the nurses across America for their unwavering care and dedication and their commitment to those in their care.

“We celebrate National Nurses Week each year…but actually, nurses working at the bedside and those who support them, are celebrated each and every day at Troy Regional Medical Center,” Smith said. “The Troy Regional nurses work hard to create strong teams who are working in service to others. These remarkable individuals are crucial on our frontline. They share encouragement and commitment as they care for their patients every day.”

Smith said nurses did not have the option to stay at home or work via Zoom during the most crucial days in the COVID-19 pandemic. They are the team that showed up every day to care of some of the sickest members of the community.”

Amy Minor, TRMC chief clinical officer, said during the past year, the TRMC nursing team has been faced with unprecedented challenges.

“Nurses, and their entire clinical support system, encountered limitations on supplies; personal protective equipment became a scarce commodity and the level of care increased,” Minor said. “Patients testing positive for COVID-19 needed higher levels of treatment and interventions from, not only nurses, but everyone involved in patient care. In addition, restrictions were placed on visitors. During end-of-life care, nurses became the patient care provider and family support for their loved ones who were hospitalized.”

Miraculously, nurses rose to the challenge, Minor said.

“The Troy Regional nurses and those all across the country, demonstrated flexibility to adapt and overcome these hurdles. Screening and testing for the virus became a new standard. Cleaning and disinfecting were taken to a whole new level as additional precautions were implemented to slow the spread of the virus,” Minor said.

“Words cannot express my admiration and appreciation for the Troy Regional nursing team and the clinical support teams we have here. When we talk about Troy Regional as a family, this past year is the perfect example of how our team loves and supports each other. I could not be more proud to be a nurse working with this outstanding team of nurses. To quote Maya Angelou, ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget the way you made them feel.’  The Troy Regional nursing team left lasting impressions on countless patients, families and each other during this last year.  That’s what nursing is all about.”