Dear Florence
Dear Florence is an online space to spark conversation on the role of nurses in global health. Named for the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, it seeks to advocate for nurses as leaders in the international health sector and encourage discussion on how the global health world can better leverage nurses’ unique connections to the communities they serve.
Dear Florence is written by Susan Michaels-Strasser, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, senior director of human resources for health (HRH) at ICAP, and is a special initiative to commemorate the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
Standing Up and Speaking Out for our Nurses
Dear Florence, Since the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11th, so much has happened. Â We have seen an exponential increase in the number of cases and deaths. In the midst of a crisis, it is critical that the voices of our nurses be heard across the world....
Our Health Workers Soldier On
Dear Florence, So much has happened since I last wrote three weeks ago. The emergence of the novel coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has brought our bustling city of more than 8.5 million people to a screeching halt. New York City has become the...
Dr. Suzanne Willard, School of Nursing at Rutgers University, Writes a Letter to Florence Nightingale
Dear Florence, I first encountered your passion for nursing when I was in school. Beyond your writings and publications, your life story and your tenacity informed much of my career. Even when people did not listen, you persisted. Today, if you walked among us, you...
Health Care Appreciation in Dearborn, Michigan, USA
Dear Florence, With your passion for using data to advance the care of patients and of the nursing profession as a whole, I think you would like this uplifting sign from a hospital in Dearborn, Michigan (source: reddit). This team’s encouragement and resiliency...