A Message from the IASN Board
July 2, 2020
When the WHO announced 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and a celebration of Florence Nightingale’s 200th Birthday, we never anticipated that our celebration would be eclipsed by a pandemic! Even though Nightingale’s image is often sentimentalized, her nursing intelligence, determination, and an amazing capacity for work continue to guide us today. Perhaps that fact alone is a reason for celebration. Her ability to organize statistics regarding patient facts, apply standards to nursing care, and implement principles of sanitation brought public health to national attention. We think we have the public’s attention again…As school nurses, your nursing assessments, disease surveillance data, disease prevention strategies, mitigation efforts, and steady guidance to students, parents, and staff members, mirrors Nightingale’s work. Your nursing expertise has informed countless agencies and stakeholders on the next steps during this unprecedented time. We do not doubt that your individual and collective actions will continue to influence the health and well-being of many positively.
Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do during this difficult time. Your IASN Board is humbled to represent you and proud to work alongside you.