Shireen Bell, RN: Bringing Hope this Holiday Season

To my fellow Alberta nurses,

I am sending out this year end message starting with a sense of deep gratitude and awe of your perseverance, courage, and constant dedication to the lives of our community members across this province! I am remembering my spring message tagged to our Pandemic Nurses Fund and as much as we knew we were in for providing pandemic care for the long haul, this month we are realizing just how grueling the time spent in this reality continues to be. The second callout from AHS (via CARNA) for those of us not in direct practice speaks to the ongoing situation of a stressed health care system and need to address nursing support. From my local perspective, I was amazed to hear of how many of us were stepping up to apply, call our colleagues about prospective work support, etc. Once again, a reminder of the dedication and commitment of nurses to ensure the health of our people is given to the best of our abilities.

We would never have imagined the 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife to coincide with a global pandemic and take away from all the celebrations planned. Beyond this formal recognition of the critical value of nurses in our society, my wish for all of you is to know just how grateful people in our communities are for you; the nature of your work, rising up in the face of adversity, advocating for better conditions to provide essential care and revealing the human toll it is taking on us and those we care for.

I send this message of thanks for all of you. You are front line workers, you are nurse educators, you are nurse leaders, you are nurse researchers and more; the point is, you are nurses and professionals Albertans cannot do without, now more than ever. My sincerest hope is for you to know how much you are valued and we at ARNET will continue support you as you seek funds for ongoing education.

On behalf of the ARNET Board of Directors, we wish you a safe and supported Christmas, holiday season and New Year,

Shireen Bell