Orleans Community Health celebrating nurses and hospital this week

Contributed photo: Orleans Community Health in Medina has a week of special activities planned in observance of National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week. A sign near the front entrance proclaims “We love our nursing staff.”

MEDINA – Orleans Community Health has two reasons to celebrate this week. May 6 to 12 is National Nurses Week and May 8 to 14 is National Hospital Week.

Various activities have been planned throughout the hospital, beginning with a luncheon held on May 6 to honor National Nurses Day.

Both week-long celebrations will highlight the nearly 300-person team within Orleans Community Health and the positive impact they have on the larger community, Scott Robinson, director of marketing, communications and outreach, said in a press release.

Nurses Week will conclude with a birthday celebration Thursday for Florence Nightingale, who is credited with founding modern nursing. Throughout the week, the nursing team will be showcased on social media and with internal announcements.

Kim Gray, chief nursing officer, has organized events for the nursing tea, including adding a banner to the exterior of Medina Memorial Hospital.

“I have the honor of working every day with the skilled and dedicated nursing team within Orleans Community Health,” Gray said. “I wouldn’t trade this group for any other.”

The theme of National Hospital Week is “We are Healthcare,” as determined by the American Hospital Association. Orleans Community Health will further expand on this theme by placing several departments in the spotlight throughout the week.

“While the doctors and nurses rightfully receive a lot of credit when thinking about a hospital, there are so many others who complete our hospital team,” Robinson said. “Our team in environmental services, purchasing, admissions and so many others are just as important to our overall functionality. They help make sure the day-to-day operations run smoothly.”

A committee organized by Joanna Miller, vice president of risk, quality and disaster management, has planned events for the team at Orleans Community Health every day during the week. This includes friendly competitions (Olympics and trivia), a cook-out and even a market and vendor fair. At the Twig Association banquet a week ago, hospital CEO Mark Shurtz announced there would be a first-time dunk tank on Friday, for which he has volunteered.

“National Hospital Week is always an opportunity to have a little more fun,” said Miller. “In addition to that, we want to thank members of our local business community for donating gift cards that will be used as prizes at the end of the week. There’s no question, our community always shows up.”

Shurtz said the last two years have added challenges for their team, challenges they have faced admirably.

“As we maneuver what the future holds, this week is our opportunity to commend our strong team at Orleans Community Health,” Shurtz added. “Whether you’re at Medina Memorial Hospital, the Albion Healthcare Center, either of our dialysis centers or the Middleport lab, you matter to us and the entire community.”