To the Editor:
As we officially kick off National Nurses Week and look ahead to National Hospital Week just around the corner, we celebrate the unwavering compassion and dedication our 104,000 employees—including our remarkable team of 22,000 nurses—bring to every patient interaction across Northwell Health.
Here in Connecticut, our nearly 1,900 nurses across four hospitals and many medical practices and outpatient locations truly form the heart of our operations. They embody our mission every single day, providing care with incredible strength and empathy. Each year, they care for approximately 434,000 outpatients, 134,000 emergency department patients, 29,000 patients in the hospital, and deliver nearly 3,000 babies.
Whether providing direct patient care, managing vital operations, leading teams, or influencing community health initiatives, their tireless efforts build stronger, healthier communities. As advocates, innovators, and pillars of trust, they master evolving technologies and complex care scenarios, always putting patients’ well-being first. It is this collective spirit and diverse expertise that enables us to deliver outstanding care and create a supportive environment for both patients and staff.
Nurses hold a distinct and critical position at the core of healthcare. They are far more than caregivers; they are the constant presence at the bedside, the first to recognize a subtle change in a patient’s condition, and often the last to offer a comforting word at the end of a shift. Their expertise extends far beyond medical procedures; it encompasses a deep understanding of human physiology, pharmacology, and psychology.
Nurses apply critical thinking every moment, making rapid, life-saving decisions, navigating complex care plans with precision, and ensuring patient safety is always paramount.
Nurses are also compassionate listeners, patient educators and fierce advocates. They bridge the gap between medical jargon and understanding, patiently explaining diagnoses and treatments to anxious families, and ensuring every patient’s voice is heard and respected. They don’t just treat illnesses; they care for the whole person, addressing physical, emotional and even spiritual needs, providing dignity and comfort during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.
Whether in the high-stakes environment of an emergency room, the quiet care of an oncology unit, the intricacies of an ICU, the fast pace of an operating room or the vital education provided in an outpatient clinic, our nurses adapt with unparalleled grace and skill.
Their resilience in the face of demanding schedules, emotional challenges, and rapid advancements in healthcare is nothing short of inspiring.
It is this multifaceted, indispensable role—combining extraordinary skill, science, and caring—that makes this year’s National Nurses Week theme, “The Power of Nurses,” so exceptionally fitting. This week, and every week, we recognize that our nurses are not just caregivers; they are heroes, leaders, innovators, and the very heartbeat of our health system.
We extend our deepest gratitude to every nurse for their tireless devotion, profound caring, and admirable commitment to our patients, our communities, and our mission.
By John D’Angelo, MD
President and CEO, Northwell Health