Nurses Week Celebrations in St. Lucia
The Saint Lucia Nurses Association is a silver award-winning association representing over 350 caring, vibrant, educated, and committed nurses. We celebrate Nurses Week in commemoration of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, the founder of Nursing. This week, nurses are in the spotlight not just for the care they provide but also for the economic value they offer to the country.
Celebrations
The celebrations commenced on May 5th, where we observed International Midwife Day, and will culminate on May 12th, as we observe International Nurses Day under the theme "Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of Care." The celebrations began with a spirit-filled and inspirational Nurses church service, where we joined in worship at the Augier Evangelical Church.
Professional Development Sessions
To bring into perspective the topic under which we celebrate, we will host several professional development sessions, including topics such as "Who Cares for the Carer" and a radio talk show highlighting the economic value that nurses continue to contribute to the country. May is also a month of many other celebrations, including Mother’s Day and our famous jazz festival. Therefore, due to competing interest, our celebrations will continue into the rest of the year with activities such as Sip and paint, and a meet and greet event for our retired nurses. We will also be gifting every member with tokens of appreciation for their contribution to the health care of St. Lucia. Additionally, we invite the public to join us for our premier "Walk with your Nurse" event planned for July 2024 in partnership with the Government of St. Lucia’s St. Lucia Moves Campaign, St. Lucia Wake up and Run, and various local and international businesses.
Theme Focus
In reference to the Theme: Our Nurse, Our Future. The economic Power of Care, this year our focus is to improve the socio-economic welfare of our nurses. We are currently in negotiations with the Government of St. Lucia to make decisions on financial and non-financial investments in Nursing. In addition, we wish to partner with all business places in St. Lucia to make every nurse a permanent valued customer through the provision of year-round discounts once they remain members of the St. Lucia Nurses Association on presentation of our membership card.
International Council of Nurses (ICN) Summary
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) (2024) summary on Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of Care emphasizes that the World Health Organization (WHO) challenges countries to increase expenditure on primary health care by approximately 1% of their gross domestic product (GDP) to lessen the glaring coverage gaps and meet health targets agreed in 2015. As every country strives to rebuild and strengthen their health care systems and economies post the Covid- pandemic and achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), intentional investment in nursing emerges as a fundamental pathway to achieving sustainable growth and resilience.
Call to Action
We call on all stakeholders to:
- Save money by ensuring safe care and safety of nurses
- Compensate nurses fairly for their scope of practice and advance practice skills
- Capacity building of the nursing workforce to achieve UHC and optimizing the use of resources to improve our health system’s effectiveness
Conclusion
We are grateful for the support we received last year during our Nurses Week celebrations. Significant to highlight are the financial and social contributions of the Ministry of Health Wellness and Elderly Affairs, the St. Lucia General Nurses Council, and companies such as Simaie Insurance, Lubeco, Trophy Centre, Cepal holdings, Dr Richard Burt, Dr Castro, Sandals Halcyon, Digicel, Flow, and Fast Cash. Additionally, we wish to recognize the Office of the Prime Minister, the Taiwan Embassy, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Labor, the Pan American Health Organization, the Trade Union Federation, Millennium Heights Medical Complex, St. Jude Hospital, and local companies such as Bank of Saint. Lucia, Coconut Bay Resorts, My Kind of Travel, Coco Palm Hotel, and our families who provide financial support to the nurses attending the ICN Congress in Canada in July 2023.
FAQs
Q: What is the theme of Nurses Week 2024?
A: Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of Care.
Q: What are the focus areas for this year’s celebrations?
A: Improving the socio-economic welfare of our nurses and partnering with all business places in St. Lucia to make every nurse a permanent valued customer.
Q: What is the International Council of Nurses (ICN) summary on Our Nurses. Our Future. The Economic Power of Care?
A: The ICN summary emphasizes the importance of intentional investment in nursing to achieve sustainable growth and resilience in health care systems and economies.