Fort HealthCare plants trees for National Nurses Day

By Chris Spangler

Not unlike a mighty oak providing shade from sun and shelter from storm, Fort Atkinson’s nurses have stood steadfast in helping the community weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus, it was fitting that Fort HealthCare commemorated National Nurses Day Thursday with the dedication of two trees “in honor of all the caregivers and community members who weathered the pandemic 2020.”

The nationwide May 6 observance is designed to thank nurses and other healthcare workers for the hard work they do every day keeping patients healthy, especially after a year of great stress and long hours caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Fort HealthCare purchased an Eye Stopper Cork Tree for McCoy Park in Fort Atkinson and a Royalty Flowering Crabapple for the Mason Farm in Dorothy Carnes County Park East.

On hand for the dedications were Fort HealthCare’s Lisa Jensen, vice president of nursing services and chief nursing officer; Mike Wallace, president and chief executive officer; Marie Wiesmann, director of quality; and Louann Buchholz, Tracy Apkarian, Sarah Burnette and Kati Wetzel, all registered nurses.

Brooke Franseen, Fort Atkinson Parks and Recreation director, and Kevin Wiesmann, Jefferson County parks supervisor, joined them at McCoy and Carnes parks, respectively.

During the dedication, Jensen shared some quotes by Florence Nightingale, British social reformer and the founder of modern-day nursing.

“One of the things Florence said was ‘How very little can be done under the spirit of fear,’” Jensen said. “I think that is really a testimonial of what we’ve all been going through as nurses and caregivers this past year, and continue to do so.”

She also quoted Nightingale as saying, “Live your life when you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it.”

“This tree will grow up, and the job of a tree is to protect, provide comfort and shelter from storms,” Jensen said. “And that is what nurses and caregivers do. They provide comfort; they weather the storm.”

She noted that the entire Fort HealthCare staff has been weathering the storm of 2020 and 2021, and probably will be continuing to do so a little bit into 2022. 

“We are there for patients, communities, to help them through these troubled times,” Jensen noted. “We appreciate all the things that all the caregivers — public health, clinics, every caregiver who has touched lives and do it every day so graciously — do. And they’re so humble about it. 

“Nurses really dedicate their life and spirit to caring for others.”

Also offering remarks was Buchholz, who was credited with coming up with the idea of the tree plantings.

“I’ve been thinking about what’s been happening this past year,” she said. “Fort Atkinson Hospital saw the tidal wave coming and provided PPEs; provided safety for all of us, which I so appreciate …”

She pointed out that many lives were affected, in particular those who passed away from COVID-19 or lost loved ones to the virus.

“So I think this tree represents life to come for all of us and hopefully a good life, and lessons learned, to embrace each other a little bit more than we’ve embraced each other in the past,” Buchholz said. 

She added, “Mike Wallace was our leader through all of this. It was frightening, but we all came together.”

Wetzel echoed that sentiment, citing the courage that the Fort HealthCare staff and healthcare team have shown this past year.

“We know we have the best team in the world at Fort HealthCare and there truly is nowhere else I would have wanted to be in this last year,” she said. “Many times, healthcare staff have been lauded as heroes, and I think that has been a little bit difficult because we haven’t felt like heroes in some regard … because its just been a difficult year.”

Wetzel continued: “But when I look at our staff and the resilience and the strength that they’ve shown doing not only what they do  — coming to work every single day, and also balancing their families at home — I know that the community and our families have seen that courage, resilience and strength.

“I know I speak for all of us when I say our patients and our families will be forever in our hearts and this is a great day to show that we are changed, we remember, we will never forget,” Wetzel said. “We are not the same as we were before, but we have been able to lean on each other and have come out stronger.”

Wallace agreed.

“As Kati just said, I think we would all agree that it takes a team to do what we do at Fort HealthCare, but today, it’s about nursing,” he said. Becoming a nurse is one of the most selfless acts a person can undertake. Nurses dispense comfort, compassion and caring without even a prescription.

“In a society of so many different races, cultures, customs and beliefs, nurses are a universal gift to all, and the dedicated work that they do and kindness they deliver on a daily basis should serve as a reminder of the fundamental humanity inside us all,” Wallace continued.

“On behalf of every person or patient who’s had the privilege to be touched by you, thank you for being who you are and doing what you do. Happy Nurses Day,” he concluded.