SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.,-Regional West Medical Center will join hospitals throughout the country in observing National Nurses Week May 6 through 12. Nurses Week activities raise awareness of the value of nursing while celebrating the dedication and skill of nurses everywhere. Regional West’s celebration will kick off Tuesday, May 6 with brownie sundaes for all employees from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Park Bench Café.

The festivities continue from 5 to 7 p.m. that day with a special Nurse Relaxation Night in Scotts Bluff I and II meeting rooms. Scottsbluff Mayor Randy Meininger will present a proclamation in honor of National Nurses Week, and Nebraska Nurses Association President Teresa Anderson, who lives in Lincoln, will present a special program. The evening will also include complimentary foot massages, hand treatments, fingernail art, back massages, and a chocolate fountain. The event was organized and sponsored by the Nebraska Nurses Association District V. All area nurses are welcome to attend.

“As nurses, we tend to get so busy caring for others that we forget to care for ourselves,” said Kim Smith, BSN, RN, a Regional West nurse who also serves as president of Nebraska Nurses Association District V. “That is why having an evening for area nurses to take a moment for themselves is so important.”

This year’s national theme, “Nurses: Leading the Way,” recognizes nurses as leaders at the bedside, in the boardroom, throughout communities, and in the halls of government. For the past 12 years, the public has ranked nursing as the top profession for honesty and ethics in an annual Gallup survey.

The first National Nurses Week was observed in October 1954, which marked the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea. In 1974, President Richard Nixon issued a proclamation designating National Nurses Week to be observed annually from May 6 through 12. May 6 is known as National Nurses Day and May 12 is the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

Regional West Health Services, Scottsbluff, Neb., is the parent company for Regional West Medical Center and Regional West Physicians Clinic. These organizations, with over 1,800 employees, provide comprehensive and innovative health care services for the people and communities of western Nebraska and the neighboring states of Colorado, South Dakota and Wyoming. With over 110 active physicians, 95 percent of whom are board certified or board eligible, plus an additional 25 consulting specialists, the Regional West family of health care organizations offers care that spans more than 30 medical specialties.