Corinthian Health Services Blog

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Nurses Week: 7 Ways to Give Thanks to the Nurses Who Save Lives

National Nurses Week is from May 6 to May 12, 2018.


Nurses Week

It’s a perfect opportunity to say thank you to the nurses who have made a difference in your life or the life of a loved one. Nurses are an essential part of the healthcare system. Without their endless compassion, tireless work and friendly companionship, the timewe all spend with doctors and hospitals for both regular care and critical emergencies would be infinitely more difficult, for doctors and patients alike.

Nurses turn mere treatment into real care. They let us know that we’re not alone when we’re feeling isolated. They encourage us when we feel like we can’t go any farther. They calm us when fear gets the better of us. They make bad situations better for us, often sacrificing more than they should.

Consider celebrating National Nurses Week. You’d be surprised how much it can mean to a nurse to receive something that confirms they’ve made a difference. You don’t have to have a large budget to participate. In fact, there are many things you can do that won’t break the bank. Here are a few to consider.

Buy Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner for Nurses Week

Saying thanks could be as simple as stopping at a local bakery and buying fresh donuts for the members of the nursing staff or department where you received your care. No time for breakfast?

Try dropping off a meal for lunch or dinner.

Coffee for the Staff

Nurses often work long hours, and as anyone who works a job that requires shifts upwards of 12 hours will tell you, coffee is often a big part of working life. There are several ways you can use coffee to say thanks to the nursing staff.

Taking the time to go to a specialty coffee shop and select something unique for your favorite nurses can be a great way to show your appreciation. The fresh ground thank you cup can be brewed at home or work for everyone to enjoy.

It might be a bit more expensive than just buying coffee, but if you’d like to say thank you in a big way, giving a good coffee machine to the staff where you received your care will very likely be  appreciated. It’s something that will keep on giving for a long time to come.

Moisturizing Hand Lotions

Many nurses will tell you that they’re constantly fighting a losing battle with dry skin on their hands. Their job requires constant sterilizationand hand washing, which takes its toll on the skin. A great way to say thanks with a not-so-common gift is to give your favorite nurse a few bottles of quality moisturizing lotion or perhaps a home hand-care kit.

Nurses Week

Food or Fruit Baskets

A food or fruit basket might seem a little bit cliché, but things become cliché for a reason; people like them. A basket full of tasty treats will bring a smile to almost anyone’s face. Of course, you can always include a card to help express your gratitude.

Handwritten Card or Note

Saying thank you doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive or even cost you anything more than your time. Something as simple as a handwritten letter or a short note that expresses your feelings can go a long way.

Flowers or Gifts

Gifts, gift cards, and flowers make great tokens of appreciation. Perhaps a gift card for the book lover will come in handy off shift or during breaks.

A Hug and a Handshake

With most patients, once they’re done dealing with whatever brought them under a nurse’s care, the nurse doesn’t see them again. This is the life of a nurse. The people they care for drift in and out of their lives, often never returning once they leave. This part of their job can sometimes be difficult to deal with.

If nurses helped create a particularly good experience for you, returning to say thank you in person when you’re feeling better will dowonders for their spirit. It lets them know that their work was noticed and they’ve not been forgotten.

Nurses Week

Nurses don’t do what they do to be thanked. They do it because they’re the kind of people who want to help others. Their work is far from glamorous and often done anonymously. Even though they may sometimes feel forgotten or underappreciated, they show up day after day and give their all to make the lives of other people better. It’s not a job suited for everyone.

If you or a loved one have ever gone through a healthcare experience that was made easier because of a caring nurse, consider taking some time during National Nurses Week to let them know that you appreciate what they’ve done. A small gesture or a few words will mean a lot to someone who spends their days selflessly helping others.

Nurses Week

5 Ways You Can Help Raise Awareness During World PI Week

It’s World PI Week! In honor of World PI Week and the Jeffrey Modell Foundation our centers participated in a ballon release.

World PI Week is about spreading the word about primary immunodeficiency. It’s an opportunity to educate and inform health policy-makers, schools, and the general public in an effort to promote early diagnosis and optimal treatment for people with primary immunodeficiency. This global event aims to create positive changes and practices to help support people living with PI.

Quick Facts About Primary Immunodeficiency

An immunodeficiency is when a part of the body’s immune system is either missing or does not function the way it should. When this problem is caused by genetics, it is called a primary, or inherited immunodeficiency. There are more than 200 forms of primary immunodeficiency, and more than 10 million people suffer from PI around the world.

PI most often shows up as “normal” infections that either don’t seem to go away or recur frequently. The biggest mistake physicians make when dealing with patients suffering from PI is that they treat the symptomatic infections without realizing that there is an underlying cause — primary immunodeficiency. Doing so can leave patients open to much more serious problems such as organ damage, physical disabilities, or even death. This is what makes it so vitally important to raise awareness about PI, both among the general public and the healthcare community.

What You Can Do to Help Raise Awareness

There are plenty of things you can do to contribute to the cause of raising awareness. Every little bit helps.

Share Your Story with The Community and The World

You can join the World PI Week campaign by simply sharing your own story. As a relative, a caregiver, a person living with some form of PI, or just as someone who wants to help, you can add your story to the World PI Week Story Book. Your story, messages of support or advice about dealing with PI will help raise awareness as well as help others. Once you’ve added your story, you can also share it through any or all of your social media profiles to spread the word even further.

Organize A World PI Week Event

The World PI Week Organization has all kinds of resources and materials available to help you organize an event in your area. You’ll find lists of past successful events to help inspire you, tools to help get the word out, and tips to make sure that your event is successful. You can also share your event through the organization’s interactive event map.

Sign the Call to Action Petition

The Global Primary Immunodeficiency’s Call To Action urges government all over the world to take steps to better understand, diagnose and manage treatment for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases. It will only take a moment to add your name to the petition and show your much-needed support for this worthy cause. Every new name on the petition helps to bolster support around the globe.

Attend an Awareness Event Near You

There are PI awareness events happening all over the world. Chances are that there’s an event coming up somewhere near you. It’s easy to use the worldpiweek.org interactive map to find one. Attending or helping with an upcoming event is a great way to lend your support.

Sponsor World PI Week

The World PI Week initiative is still very young. Started just a few years ago, in 2010, the campaign has grown substantially, but still needs the help and support of the corporate community.

Funding from corporate sponsors helps the organization to produce materials like brochures, informational videos, posters, and other campaign materials. These materials are then used to help support the worldwide efforts of PI campaigners around the globe.

If you own a company or think the company you work for might be interested in sponsoring World PI Week, you can find all the information you’ll need to get the ball rolling on the organization’s sponsorship page.

Your Involvement Makes a Difference

Big changes always begin with small steps. By getting involved with World PI Week, you’re helping people all over the world to improve their quality of life. By raising awareness about primary immunodeficiency diseases, patients, caregivers and the medical community all become better educated and better prepared to deal with these chronic illnesses. Your efforts help those living with PI to stay healthier and live longer, happier lives.