Nurses Edie Taylor, Josh Jones and Pam Wolodkin are among the 70 nurses who care for residents at Good Shepherd Nursing Home.

WHEELING – Every year Good Shepherd Nursing Home has a celebration during National Nurses Week to honor the women and men who serve Good shepherd’s residents so faithfully.

Although Nurses Week began last Wednesday, this year’s celebration will be postponed until after the COVID-19 threat passes.

Sue O’Connell, Good Shepherd Director of Nursing, said nurses are often on the front lines of history, as they are today.

“It’s inspiring to see thousands of nurses and other healthcare workers across the globe who are putting their own lives at risk to treat patients with coronavirus,” she said. “We’re proud to be nurses, especially when we see the good work that nurses are doing during the pandemic. We’re grateful that our area has so far been spared from the worst of COVID-19.”

Nursing Week ends every year on May 12, the birthday of Florene Nightengale, who trained nurses during the Crimean war in the 19th century and helped define the nursing profession by starting a nursing school in London. Nurses today are respected and treated as professionals in large part because of Nightengale’s work.

Good Shepherd in Wheeling employs 70 nurses and 130 certified nursing assistants and unit assistants. O’Connell said she is proud that they always have time for Good Shepherd residents and their family members.

“As someone who once worked for another facility, I was amazed when I came to Good Shepherd by the care and by the atmosphere here,” she said. “It’s very calm and peaceful and everything runs smoothly. I think that trickles down from our administration.”

Good Shepherd Administrator Donald R. Kirsch said he is grateful every day for the kind and competent nurses who care for Good Shepherd residents.

“Nurses are at the center of almost everything we do,” he said. “We are blessed to have such wonderful professionals caring for our residents.”

He said Good Shepherd will honor its nurses once the COVID-19 pandemic is over and nursing home is once again open to visitors.