Schneps Media celebrates National Nurses Week, May 6-12
Our heroes, now more than ever
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The nation pauses every May to celebrate
National Nurses Week and
honor the army of men and women
at medical centers across the country who
play a critical role in comforting and saving
the lives of countless patients.
But this year’s celebration falls amid the
coronavirus pandemic that has already
claimed more than 68,000 American lives
— including, sadly, a tragic number of
nurses on the frontlines who contracted the
illness themselves while tending to the sick.
The New York State Nurses Association
is curating a memorial page on their
website for nurses across the Empire State
who have succumbed to COVID-19. They
offer hints of the dedication, the care and
love each provided to their patients and
colleagues throughout their vocation.
Ernesto “Audie” DeLeon served as a Bellevue
Hospital nurse in Manhattan for 30
years but died of COVID-19 on April 13.
“During his tenure, he was an incredible
inspiration and a mentor to hundreds of
nurses, doctors and other clinical staff. He
was an immensely kind soul with a humble
demeanor,” said Claire Martinez, one of
his colleagues.
Mary Ellen Porter, the nurse manager
at Richmond University Medical Center
who died of coronavirus on April 9, “was
always there for her staff,” said fellow nurse
Diane Donaghy. “In the good times, the
bad times, when the fl oors got crazy, she
was quick to put on scrubs and help them
when needed.”
Jacqueline Rowe, a Bellevue Hospital
nurse who died on April 15, was “an amazing
colleague and friend,” one colleague
wrote. Theresa Lococo, a pediatric nurse at
Kings County Medical Center who died on
March 28, “always had the biggest smile, no
matter how busy the pediatric units were,”
wrote a co-worker.
These are just glimpses into the dedicated
lives of these nurses who gave “their
last measure of devotion” by caring for
New Yorkers suffering the worst effects of
a disease for which a cure or vaccine is not
yet available.
But thousands more nurses are on duty
at this very moment in medical facilities
across the country, putting their own lives
on the line while working hard alongside
physicians, lab technicians and other
professionals to save as many people as
possible.
Their herculean efforts have not gone
unnoticed by the public — whether it’s
through the nightly applause at 7 p.m. for
healthcare workers or organizations donating
food and other supplies to emergency
rooms across the city.
For many nurses, however, these gestures
of gratitude must also be backed up
with additional support so they can protect
themselves and their own families.
The NYSNA has gone to court seeking
increased access to N95 masks and
protective personal equipment (PPE) to
shield nurses and other professionals from
infection. On Tuesday, the City Council
heard arguments over legislation to create
an “Essential Workers Bill of Rights,”
potentially opening the door for nurses to
receive additional pay for their efforts to
stop this contagious disease.
In reality, long before coronavirus arrived
at our doorstep, these nurses have
deserved greater protection, compensation
and recognition for the care they provide
their patients every day. They work long
shifts and are on their feet most of their
day shuttling between multiple patients,
comforting them while administering tests
and medication.
Maternity nurses guide new mothers
through the painful, yet miraculous process
of childbirth. Emergency nurses console the
victims of tragedy while also scrambling
with doctors to save the victims. Nurses in
oncology wards help cancer patients cope
with the illness they’re battling. Palliative
care nurses offer comfort and solace not
just to terminal patients in their fi nal days,
but also their families.
The pandemic has brought forth a new
awareness about the incredible work of our
nurses, who take the oath Florence Nightingale
wrote to “maintain and elevate the
standard of their profession,” to be loyal
to their duties and be “devoted towards the
welfare of those committed to their care.”
We thank and honor all nurses for their
service, and we hope our readers will do
the same.
Schneps Media May 7, 2020 9