City Council recognizes National Nurses Week

Nurses Week has been celebrated since 1991 from May 6, National Nurses Day, through May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. This year, the national theme is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead - A Vision for Future Healthcare.



Over 160,000 nurses work in Massachusetts, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners, staff nurses, nurse educators, school nurses, public health nurses, long-term care nurses, nurse managers, and nurses in many other practice areas. Over 1,800 nurses at Boston Medical Center, 3,500 at Brigham and Women’s, 2,955 at Beth Israel, and 2,700 at Boston Children’s provide compassionate care and healing in our community.



Nurses are public health heroes who make our communities safer and healthier, and contribute to our community as community advocates, educators, and providers of critical health services. On the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are the cornerstone of our public health infrastructure, promoting healthy lifestyles, educating communities on disease prevention and health promotion, and providing critical care in a variety of settings.



The Massachusetts Nurses Association survey of registered nurses has found that the pandemic has exacerbated existing problems within the Massachusetts healthcare system, including overburdened emergency departments, nurse burnout and turnover, and a lack of support from employers.



This week, the Council designated May 6-12, 2021 as National Nurses Week in order to recognize the significant contributions of all nurses, implore healthcare employers to drastically improve working conditions for our nurses, and express Boston’s deep gratitude to our nurses for all that they do for the City.