The University of North Carolina Wilmington School of Nursing will again be joining in a national celebration of nursing by participating in the Annual Nurses’ Day Celebration for New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties on May 7.

For the 14th consecutive year, the School of Nursing and the North Carolina Nurses’ Association (NCNA), District 22, are hosting an evening to honor the profession and its educators beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 in the Burney Center Ballroom. A significant number of registered nurses from the region will be honored for their contributions in practice, education, research and administration. In addition, Outstanding Alumnus and Faculty of the Year awards and scholarship recipients will be announced. This year’s gala is chaired by BJ Ellender, director of cardiac rehab, J Arthur Dosher Memorial Hospital and president, District 22, NCNA.

National Nurses Week is celebrated May 6-12 annually. May 12 is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. “Nurses – Building a Healthy America,” is reflective of the crucial role nurses play in continuing to provide quality and accessible health care even when challenged by the national economic crisis which has left many without jobs and insurance.

States Bettie J. Glenn, associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Nursing, “Nurses are the “glue” holding together the health care system. Nurses continue to provide illness and wellness care for people in need. The complexities and challenges are viewed by nurses as opportunities to re-examine traditional health care practices and generate relevant, evidence-based best practices to increase access to and quality in patient care. Therefore, we celebrate the local nurses who make a difference each day in the lives of many.”

UNCW broke ground on a new nursing building in fall 2008. The facility will house the nursing school’s baccalaureate and graduate programs, including its baccalaureate program in Clinical Research. The building is slated for occupancy in fall 2010.