In January 2019, when the Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus proposed making 2020 the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, he said that nurses are “the bridge of healthcare, a crucial link between the people of the community and the complex healthcare system,” and that the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale couldn’t be a better opportunity to celebrate nurses who have contributed greatly to humanity.
My team and I were thrilled to hear to about this designation and the positive outcomes it could mean for the nursing profession. But little did we know that a year later, a devastating pandemic would thrust nurses into the global spotlight like we never could have imagined. 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife has taken on a whole new meaning. As COVID-19 continues to challenge our health systems and communities, the eyes of the world have been opened to the profound impact nurses have in helping drive better health outcomes and transformative solutions.
Over the last few months, I have had the opportunity to connect with many nursing organizations, leaders, colleagues and friends. I have observed the challenges of our frontline nurses, their frustrations as well as their celebrations, and above all – their incredible resilient spirit. I’ve also been left awestruck with how they have responded to this challenge with incredible innovative solutions ranging from new ways to safely deliver care at the bedside to pioneering their own protective equipment.
Johnson & Johnson could not be prouder to further strengthen our 120-year commitment to advocating for and elevating the nursing profession. As we acknowledge National Nurses Week and Month amid this pandemic, I am excited to share how we are supporting nurses on the frontlines and encourage you to check them out and share with nurses you know!
· Exercise your healthcare-innovation muscles: Join Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, the Society of Nurse Scientists, Innovators, Entrepreneurs, & Leaders (SONSIEL) and dev up for a free virtual hackathon, “NurseHack4Health: COVID-19” on May 15-17 focused on leveraging technology to support patient care during the pandemic. Nurses, healthcare professionals, engineers, tech enthusiasts and anyone else interested can learn more and register at www.nursehack4health.org.
· Tune in and subscribe: Johnson & Johnson and the American Nurses Association are sharing inspiring and informative stories from nurses on the frontlines of the pandemic through our special SEE YOU NOW “COVID-19 The Nurse Response” podcast series. Catch up on some of our recent episodes and subscribe at SeeYouNowPodcast.com.
· Get inspired and help amplify stories of nurse-led innovation from the frontlines: From 3D printed masks to a virtual rounding tool; from a new design for a face shield to color coded signs in the COVID-19 units to help improve communication – in the coming days, we’ll be sharing inspiring examples of nurse-led innovation from across the country in response to COVID-19. Follow along on our Facebook and Twitter channels and join the online conversation with #NursesChangeLives.
· Learn more about our recent support: Johnson & Johnson and the TYLENOL®, NEUTROGENA ®, AVEENO® and JOHNSON’S® BABY brands are proud to support the launch of the American Nurses Foundation’s Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses with a $1.9M commitment. This fund will support the financial aid, education, mental health and advocacy needs of nurses. In March, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation committed $50 million to support and supply frontline health workers - from meals to protective equipment, extra training to mental health support.
· Looking for COVID-19 guidelines or training resources? Check out my recent list of 12 resources on LinkedIn, which includes resources from First Responders First, free online training from Nurse.com and IntelyCare, mental health resources from the American Nurses Association and more.
· Interested in learning more about developing a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate? The Road to a Vaccine is an educational LIVE video series that profiles the global scientific collaborative work underway to develop a potential vaccine. This series features new episodes each Tuesday at 12PM EDT, hosted by journalist, producer and author Lisa Ling. Be sure to tune in on May 12th , International Nurses Day and the final day of National Nurses Week, to meet two nurse innovators who have been working on the frontlines of COVID-19.
· Meet our brilliant QuickFire Challenge Awardees: Together with the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JLABS, we’re thrilled to announce the awardees of the Johnson & Johnson Nurses Innovate QuickFire Challenge in Maternal and Newborn Health: Nicole Lincoln, advisor at Breegi Scientific, Inc. and Sigi Marmorstein of BabyLiveAdvice.com. Learn how they are evolving their solutions to respond to COVID-19 here.
In this special Year of the Nurse and beyond, I can assure you that Johnson & Johnson will never stop advocating for, elevating and empowering nurses as innovative, critical leaders on the frontlines of care.
Because Nurses Change Lives. And that changes everything.
With deepest admiration,
Lynda Benton
Senior Director of Corporate Equity
Johnson & Johnson Nursing
