Loma Linda University Medical Center Celebrates Nurses Week

What a great time to salute and acknowledge the wonderful professionals at Loma Linda University Medical Center!

In case you had not heard, last week was National Nurses Week, which is celebrated each year from May 6 –12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. May 6 is also National Nurses Day.

Be it at the patient's bedside, emergency room, clinics, or in a disaster area, nurses are known for their professionalism, caring and compassion. At Loma Linda University Medical Center, there is no shortage of these qualities in the men and women who make up the nursing staff. As part of Nurses Week celebrations, education conferences were held last week to further enhance the Loma Linda nurses’ knowledge and skill.

Liz Dickinson, Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services at Loma Linda University Medical Center, sent out this message to the Loma Linda nurses:

“Loma Linda University Medical Center employs over 3,000 nurses. Every day, our nurses exhibit the core values of teamwork, wholeness, integrity, compassion and excellence. Whether it is through clinical care or the healing environment our nurses create, they are striving to honor the trust given them.  In keeping with our mission here at Loma Linda University Medical Center, we are honoring our nurses in a special way this year.  A donation will be made to the recovery efforts in Japan.  We have all been touched by this horrific tragedy and know you will join us in extending our thoughts and prayers.”

Our thanks and congratulations to our awesome nurses!

A Teddy Bear Clinic, a finger-casting demonstration and an “XRtainment” workout, presented by the Loma Linda University Drayson Center, are among the fun activities in store for participants in the 26th annual Children’s Day, hosted by Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital.

The event is set for 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday at the North Lawn of Loma Linda University Medical Center, 11234 Anderson St.

Recommended for children 3 to 10, Children’s Day will take participants through demonstrations and displays to teach kids about hospital and health awareness in a fun and safe way.

Children’s Day is a free event that is open to the public. An adult must accompany all children. For more information, call (800 825-KIDS.

Scores of children from low-income families from throughout Riverside County will get free vision screening thanks to a $750,000 grant to Loma Linda University Department of Ophthalmology from the Riverside County Children and Families Commission, also known as First 5 Riverside.

The First 5 Riverside grant creates the Loma Linda University Vision Intervention Program, which provides free vision exams and treatment for uninsured and underprivileged children up to age five in Riverside County.

The program will collaborate with El Sol Neighborhood Education Center to train bilingual “Promotores” who will conduct vision screenings at different sites throughout Riverside County. Dr. Jennifer Dunbar, pediatric ophthalmologist at Loma Linda University Department of Ophthalmology, will be the program directors.

First 5, a public entity created by the passage of Proposition 10, provides funding for services designed to create a strong foundation for children through 5 years old, so that they can be successful in school and throughout their lives.

“Discovering, and then assisting with vision problems at a young age is critical to a child’s development, and future success in school,” said Harry Freedman, Executive Director of First 5 Riverside. “The First 5 Commission values the partnership with Loma Linda, and the opportunity to provide funds for a critical service where other resources do not exist.”