Students Assemble Care Packages for Nurses in Iraq, Afghanistan

In the spirit of National Nurses’ Week, students at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) worked together to acknowledge the important contributions to care being made by nurses serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with the U.S. armed forces.

Last month, members JHSON’s National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) assembled care packages from items collected at the School and at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, including recent nursing journals, personal letters and cards, toiletries, easy-to-carry snacks, and popular magazines.

The NSNA shipped a total of 15 packages to nurses at seven overseas sites. Addresses were provided by the Army Nurse Corps.

The student organization is proud to support military nurses, and wanted to let them know that the JHSON community is grateful for their service, said Marcella Leath, president of the School’s NSNA.

“By sending the care packages, we wanted to show support for those nurses who are serving abroad,” said NSNA President Marcella Leath, Traditional ’11. “We wanted them to know that we appreciate their efforts and we are thankful for their service.”

Nurses’ Week, sponsored by the American Nursing Association, is an annual event designed to raise awareness of the value of nursing and to recognize the important contributions nurses make to healthcare. It begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is considered to be the founder of modern nursing.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is a global leader in nursing research, education, and scholarship. The School and its baccalaureate, master’s, PhD, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs are recognized for excellence in educating nurses who set the highest standards for patient care and become innovative national and international leaders. For more information, visithttp://www.nursing.jhu.edu.