SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT www.scdemocratonline.com
FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2018
NATIONAL NURSES WEEK
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NATIONAL NURSES DAY National Nurses Day is observed annually on May 6. On this day, we raise awareness of all nurse contributions and commitments and acknowledge the vital role nurses play in society. This day is also the first day of National Nurses Week and is sometimes known as National RN Recognition Day. National Nurses Week begins May 6 and ends on May 12, which is the birthday of Florence Nightingale (May 12, 1820 – August 13, 1910). Florence Nightingale was a celebrated English, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. She became well-known while taking care of the wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Nightingale was dubbed “The Lady with the Lamp� because of her habit of making rounds at night.. Inside
SUNY Sullivan preparing next generation of nurses BY DR. KEITH POMAKOY SUNY SULLIVAN'S VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AND STUDENT AFFAIRS.
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t took America’s most deadly war to turn nursing into a profession, and it took some of America’s strongest personalities to force their way into military hospitals – dirty, disease infested houses deemed too upsetting for women to enter – and turn them into sanitary places of healing. Gone were the untrained
soldiers who had been detailed to care for the sick and wounded for a day at a time, and in their place came assertive women like Dorthea Dix and Clara Barton in the North, and Sally Louisa Tompkins in the South. Dix served as the Union Army’s Superintendent of Nurses, while Tomkins would receive a commission and served as a captain in the Confederate Army. These nurses often had to force their way into hospitals, and (almost exclusively
as civilians, no less) force generals to accept their authority. Nursing care helped to achieve stunning results. The ratio of non-battle deaths to battle deaths in the Mexican-American War stood at 15 to 1, but less than twenty years later this ratio decreased to 3 to 1, thanks in part to the professional nursing care that came to military hospitals. The Civil War generation of nurses also broke down gender barriers. The women who could work in hospitals
so horrific that male visitors found themselves shaken, pale, and, sometimes, faint, had demonstrated that they could take their place in society as professionals. Gone were the days of Scarlet O’Hara’s “fiddle-dee-dee� idleness, although most white Americans had never experienced the institutions portrayed in Gone with the Wind – America had taken a halting step toward equality. As America prepared for its next great military adventure in 1898, it only seemed natu-
ral that a legion of Clara Barton’s trained Red Cross nurses stood ready to serve. These nurses represented the breadth of America’s upper (those who volunteered because of social duty) and middle (those who labored for salary) classes. Barton’s nurses had to adhere to strict social codes, and any nurse caught out at night without an escort risked termination and a career-ending negative reference. Over the interviewing years nurses served in every con-
flict, and have grown to become an admired part of American health care. At SUNY Sullivan we are preparing the next generation of nurses by upgrading our skills laboratory, investing in partnerships, and providing greater support to ensure student success. Nursing today represents an opportunity for every person who is willing to master the skills of the profession, and we are here to help students achieve their share of the American dream.
Catholic Charities and ShopRite partner to feed Hudson Valley families
HUDSON VALLEY – ShopRite Supermarkets donated $96,500 to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York in support of the supermarket chain’s participation in the annual Archdiocesan-wide Feeding Our Neighbors food drive in its Hudson Valley market area. ShopRite President Brett Wing and Tom Urtz, Vice President of Operations, were joined by ShopRite employees from throughout the region to present the donation to Bishop Dominick Lagonegro and Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, at the annual Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan’s Celebration of Charity dinner. ShopRite’s 28 stores in the Hudson Valley participated in the annual mid-winter drive to raise food and funds to replenish food pantries
throughout the Archdiocese of New York, which includes Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Sullivan, and Westchester Counties. The funds were raised through customers’ cash donations at check-out. Additionally, nearly 35,000 pounds of non-perishable food items were donated by customers at participating ShopRite stores. In all, the donation from ShopRite and its customers totaled the equivalent of 421,000 meals. “We are so very fortunate that ShopRite, their employees, and customers embrace a commitment to giving back to the community in which they live and work,� said Msgr. Sullivan. “They are outstanding community partners whose generosity makes a positive difference in the lives of others. The donations made to Feeding Our Neighbors come at a time when food pantries are struggling to keep their shelves stocked and clients
fed. Both the food collected and the funds raised will go a long way in feeding our hungry neighbors.� This is ShopRite’s fourth year participating in the Feeding Our Neighbors campaign. To date, ShopRite has collected more than $405,000 and more than 82,000 pounds of non-perishable food through the generosity of donations from ShopRite customers – the equivalent of 1,708,000 meals. The donations were distributed to food pantries, soup kitchens, and other anti-poverty programs throughout the Archdiocese. Speaking to the crowd of more than 400 guests at Anthony’s Pier 9, ShopRite’s Wing said, “ShopRite staff and customers are the best. They are generous and communityminded. It is thanks to them that we are able to support the important work of organizations like Catholic Charities.� Leading the supermarket’s
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
At Catholic Charities Community Services of Orange and Sullivan’s annual Celebration of Charity dinner, ShopRite Supermarkets presented Catholic Charities of The Archdiocese with a check for $96,500 in support of the 2018 Feeding Our Neighbors food drive. Feeding Our Neighbors fundraising efforts this year was ShopRite of New Rochelle, which raised $8,070, followed by ShopRite of Scarsdale with $7,249, and ShopRite of
Fishkill at $7,125. While the Feeding Our Neighbors campaign takes place just two weeks each winter, the need to feed the hungry lasts all year long. For
more information about making a donation of cash or food, contact your local food pantry, Catholic Charities office, or visit www.catholic charitiesny.org.
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