In recognition of National Nursing Care Week, we would like to share this letter from our CEO to our nursing staff:
Dear Nursing Staff
Embracing your power and using it for good is a truly transformative act—one that changes not only lives, but entire systems. That transformation begins with each of you.
As nurses, you carry an extraordinary blend of compassion, clinical excellence, and courage. You are often the first voice our patients hear and the last hand they hold. You bring comfort in chaos, clarity in uncertainty, and healing in moments of deep vulnerability. This is not just care—it is leadership in action.
As the artist Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Every day, you give your gift to this community. And in doing so, you embody the values that make our hospital more than a place of treatment—you make it a place of hope.
This year’s Nursing Week is a chance to pause and honor the profound impact of your work—the Power of Nursing. On behalf of myself, the Board of Directors and the Executive Leadership team, thank you. Thank you for standing at the intersection of strength and empathy, science and humanity. Thank you for being the change our patients need.Let us carry forward our shared commitment: Be the change. Lead the change. See the change. Because when you lead with purpose and compassion, you don’t just make a difference—you make transformation possible.
With deep appreciation,
Dr. Fran Witt, DNP, MBA, LNHA, RN
President and Chief Executive Officer
Effingham Health System
