The Town of Southampton honored Emergency Nurses this week by lighting the iconic Long Island Big Duck in purple. This year, the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is celebrating Emergency Nurses Week Oct. 11-17. The ceremony was held on Emergency Nurses Day, Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Several nurses from a number of Suffolk County hospitals were present as the Duck was lit in purple by County Executive Steve Bellone, Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, Council members Rick Martel and Tommy John Schiavoni, NYS Assemblyman Fred Thiele and Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming. In honor of their dedication, the Town Board awarded a proclamation to the President of the Suffolk County Nurses Association, Mary DaSilva.
The Emergency Nurses Week 2020 theme does more than just show appreciation and gratitude. The theme, Heart of Gold, helps ensure that others know about emergency nurses. This week of recognition helps others to see the heart that emergency nurses bring to their hospitals and patients every day.
With the challenges that we have faced in 2020 due to the horrible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to take time out to recognize the amazing contribution to the well-being of our community that emergency nurses make. These everyday heroes are there for members of our communities when things are at their worst and times are bad. They have been on the front lines of the COVID response. We are proud of the contributions that Emergency Nurses make on a daily basis, and are proud to be the home of Stony Brook Southampton Hospital. We are also proud of the partnership that we have with our friends at Peconic Bay Medical Center and Eastern Long Island Hospital. Health services on the East End of Long Island are second to none and this is in large part due to the dedicated, caring, talented professionals at our area hospitals.
Out of respect for the valuable contributions of Emergency Nurses to the betterment of our community, we are proud to join with the County of Suffolk in lighting up Long Island’s iconic Big Duck in purple for Emergency Nurses Week.
Since 1989, the Emergency Nurses Association has recognized the second Wednesday in October as Emergency Nurses Day, a day honoring emergency nurses for their commitment to patient care. In 2001, ENA expanded the celebration to devote an entire week to honoring emergency nurses, because one day is simply not enough to recognize all contributions made by emergency nurses.
For more information on emergency nursing or Emergency Nurses Week, please visit southamptontownny.gov, or the Emergency Nurses Association website at www.ena.org.
