Community event to honor nurses

The South Carolina Nurse Retention Initiative (SCNRI) will hold a community celebration March 26 in honor of local nurses and the success of the SCNRI.

The event, Friends of Retaining Our Nurses (FOR Our Nurses), will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Belfair Clubhouse, 200 Belfair Oaks Blvd. in Bluffton.

Russell Baxley, president and CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, will be the keynote speaker.

SCNRI was launched in 2021 to provide financial aid to attract and retain recent BSN and ADN nursing school graduates who continue to work in Beaufort and Jasper counties.

The celebration, which is open to the community, was created to thank all who have supported the work of the SCNRI in incentivizing the Lowcountry’s graduating nurses to choose and then remain employed in our area, helping to increase the supply of nurses to improve the availability and quality of health care in the Lowcountry

Performing at the event will be Evolution Big Band, Bluffton’s hometown AllStar Big Band featuring 17 of the top jazz musicians in the Lowcountry; and a special performance by Stephanie Nakasian, known as one of the world’s leading jazz singers and a prolific recording artist.

“We are so grateful to everyone in the community for their support of this initiative to retain nurses in Beaufort and Jasper Counties,” said Bob Elliott, co-founder of SCNRI.

Since its founding, the SCNRI has succeeded in achieving a 75% nurse retention rate in Beaufort and Jasper counties and has positively impacted the lives of 11 nurses who are recipients of this financial aid who are now working here.

Tickets are $85 per person and are available at scnri.eventbrite.com.

ROB DILLS Founder and Managing Attorney

BS, University of South Carolina, JD, University of Dayton, School of Law,