The Kentucky Nurses Association celebrates Nurses Month

FLORENCE, Ky. – The Kentucky Nurses Association (KNA) is celebrating Nurses Month this May in honor of the 90,000 nurses who live and work in Kentucky.

Delanor Manson, CEO of KNA, has been a nurse for more than 40 years and knows a thing or two about the role nurses play in society.

“If there are no nurses, there is no health care,” Manson said. “If 53.3% of healthcare workers are nurses, how much healthcare do you think would be created if they disappeared? Not much.”

Nurses Month is an evolution of Nurses Week, celebrated by the American Nurses Association. Manson said Kentucky nurses deserve the recognition.

“They spend most of their time with patients, whether in outpatient care, home care or hospice or a hospital,” she said. “And I think a lot of people think that all a nurse needs to be a nurse is to be taken care of.”

“Nurses are caring, but they are also very technical and have autonomy in caring for patients and conducting assessments.”

KNA's Apricot Ribbon Campaign encourages Kentuckians to tie apricot-colored ribbons and bows around trees, lampposts and other landmarks as a visible sign of how much nurses are valued and appreciated. The organization has continued to do this during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I personally bought all the apricot ribbons in the entire United States,” Manson said. “It took them four years to accumulate enough apricot ribbons so we could do it again.”

Manson said the nursing industry, like many others, is facing a labor shortage. She said one possible reason is that some nurses feel underestimated.

“They feel like maybe people just don't know what it means to be a nurse,” Manson said. “We not only need to hire nurses, but we also need to retain nurses.”

The KNA will hold a legislative conference on May 17th. Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., will be on hand for the signing ceremony.

The organization will also host a social justice film night to address the prevention of violence against nurses in the workplace