Nurses work tirelessly to improve the health of residents in this area

Nurses work tirelessly to improve the health of residents in this area

Happy Nurses Week to all registered nurses as we celebrate your commitment and efforts in providing quality care to the Greater Youngstown community. National Nurse Week, held every year in the second week of May, raises public awareness and recognizes the roles registered nurses play in the health care needs of Americans.

Since 1984, approximately 100 bachelor’s degree-prepared nurses have graduated annually from Youngstown State University adding quality caregivers to the local workforce and contributing to 3.1 million registered nurses in the nation and 167,000 licensed in Ohio.

In the Youngtown area, our graduates provide care at the bedside in our hospitals and extended care facilities, hospices and in patients’ homes. In the community, they work to improve serious public health issues by providing immunizations, staffing clinics, caring for children in schools, and aiding patients of all ages who have mental illness. Our advanced practice nurse graduates, including family nurse practitioners, certified registered nurse anesthetists and clinical nurse specialists, provide needed highly skilled, safe, quality care. Many work collaboratively with other health care providers to create policy and reach goals.

On behalf of the faculty and staff at YSU Nursing, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to all registered nurses in our community who work tirelessly and frequently without recognition. We applaud your very important contribution in improving the health of our Mahoning Valley residents.

Nancy Wagner, Youngstown

Wagner is an associate professor and chairwoman of the Department of Nursing at YSU.