Oki Niksoo’kowaak,
On behalf of the Blood Tribe Department of Health, Board and Staff, it is with great honour and privilege to pay tribute and to extend my best wishes to everyone celebrating National Nursing Week.
Today highlights the many roles, courage, commitment and strength nurses play in the health and well being of our members and their families on their path to good health. This year, the theme for Nurses Day is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure global health.”
May 12 was chosen as the day to commemorate nurses’ contribution because of the good work carried out by Florence Nightingale — the founder of modern nursing. Born on May 12, 1820, Florence Nightingale was a British nurse and social reformer and is revered as “The Lady with the Lamp.”
On behalf of all Blood Tribe Health staff, I wish to express my deepest appreciation and gratitude. This National Nursing Week, we recognize these selfless individuals who tirelessly provide care and compassion to patients and their families. We could not imagine a community without your exhaustive efforts to keep Kainai safe and healthy.
During the last two years, we have all had to endure tremendous hardship. With the ongoing opioid crisis and Covid-19 pandemic, our nurses continue being hard-working health professionals that have answered the call of duty, but have gone above and beyond, playing a critical role in our fight against COVID-19. It’s endemic and is here to stay – and it’s up to us to work together to protect ourselves, our families and our Communities!
Help us celebrate the courage nurses have demonstrated, and the sacrifices they have made in order to help keep Kainai safe. You are all heroes. The pandemic brought to light the courage and commitment that nurses work under every day and showed the important role that nurses play in our community, often at great personal cost and sacrifice. Thank you – for all you are and all you do – providing health and mental health care services or caring for our vulnerable elders and members – your tireless efforts to ensure your fellow citizens are treated with compassion, kindness, respect, dignity, professionalism and love, even in these most difficult times of this pandemic and opioid crisis.
Your service is a testament to your steadfast commitment to your profession and to the health and well-being of Kainai. I give you my heartfelt gratitude for your hard work and devotion. Take pride. I offer my best wishes for an enjoyable and rewarding National Nursing Week.
And finally, most recently our continuing Most care centre experienced an outbreak but we got great news that the Covid outbreak has been declared over! Just another example of the hard work and diligence of our teams. Thank you to all the staff for your tireless efforts as you care for our elders – as if your own. And again, deepest condolences to our recent loss and to all of our losses here in Kainai during this pandemic. Many prayers and our thoughts are with all of the families and staff who are the extended family of our clients and our elders. From the bottom of my thank you! Help us to celebrate this very special occasion.
Sincerely,
Derrick Fox
CEO, BTDH Inc.
