A dose of appreciation during National Nurses Week

CARTHAGE, N.Y. (WWNY) - After a challenging year, there’s a dose of appreciation for nurses. It’s National Nurses Week.

Michael Morgia, a registered nurse, started his career within the last year. Why does he do this job? He looks back to his childhood.

“I was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of 2 and a half years old,” he said.

That diagnosis is what lead Morgia to Carthage Area Hospital, where he works in the acute inpatient unit.

“I want to do something for people who have helped me. That’s why I chose the career I did. And here I am now giving back to the community, which feels absolutely amazing,” he said.

May 6 through 12 is devoted to appreciate the work Morgia and his nursing colleagues do.

The 7 days mark National Nurses Week. Janice Dolan, who also works at CAH, looks forward to it. She’s been a licensed practical nurse for almost 20 years.

“When we are acknowledged for what we do every day, it just gives you that little bit of boost and makes you realize why we do the things we do,” said Dolan.

CAH employs nearly 140 nurses. Watertown’s Samaritan Medical Center staffs roughly 450 nurses.

“I really have seen how resilient they are and how compassionate they are, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. You know, we were throwing something new to them almost on a daily basis and they were just so flexible,” said

Kimberly Thibert, chief nursing officer & vice president of patient care services at SMC.

The pandemic meant opening a COVID-19 unit, caring for the sickest of patients, and supporting those patients when family members couldn’t visit the hospital. Nurses did all of that.

“We’re really trying to tell them how much we appreciate them for everything they’ve been through,” said Thibert.

These days, they’ve been through a lot, but they’ve carries on every step of the way.

“It’s not just a job to them, it’s a profession and a calling,” said Thibert.

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