| It is hard to believe that it is already Nurses Week, May 11-17, 2020. This year is extraordinary as it is also the Year of the Nurse in recognition of Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday.
The theme for this year Nurses Week is A Voice to Lead – Nursing the World to Health. Having this coincide with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the critical roles that nurses and other members of the health care team play in providing high quality and safe care. We are so fortunate to have such dedicated people working at Bayshore.
Although home care in Canada began in the 17th century, it wasn’t until 1970 that the first publically funded home care program was established in Ontario. By 1988 all provinces and territories established publically funded home care programs and by 2014 there were over 2.2 million Canadians receiving care and services in their homes. Bayshore currently serves over 350,000 clients annually and provides approximately 35,000 visits daily.
The nursing profession incorporates autonomous and collaborative practice, including the promotion of health, the prevention of illness, and the care of ill, complexed and vulnerable individuals. At Bayshore, home care has evolved over time and includes in person and virtual nursing care whether it is in our clients’ homes, in our infusion clinics, in the community or other care settings.
Some examples of the advanced nursing practice provided include tracheotomy care, hemodialysis, chemotherapy, invasive and non-invasive ventilation, complex wound care, complex Intravenous management and leading edge medication administration and biologics.
Many years ago, these types of clients would have been cared for in the hospital. Today more than 4,000 nurses work in a wide variety of positions with Bayshore Home Health, Bayshore Home Care Solutions, Bayshore Specialty Rx, Bayshore Medical Personnel, Integrated Care Solutions, CAREpath and Northern Nursing.
With everything that is going on with the COVID-19 pandemic, our nurses continue to triumph and are going beyond the call of duty to provide person and family centered care. Never has there been a time that proves how we are nursing the world back to health, one person, one family, one community at a time. Our nurses’ dedication, leadership and nursing expertise makes a significant difference in achieving positive health outcomes for the clients we serve. |
