I stood in the cool May evening, watching as the Horseshoe Falls transformed into a brilliant azure cascade. Not for tourists this time, but for nurses.
“It means so much to see the falls lit up blue for us,” whispered Marion, a critical care nurse at Niagara Health for nearly three decades. “Some nights, especially during those dark pandemic months, I’d drive home wondering if anyone understood what was happening inside hospital walls.”
Across the Niagara region this week, landmarks from the falls to the Welland Canal Bridge 13 glowed in nursing’s signature blue, casting gentle light across the water as Niagara Health marked National Nursing Week 2024. The annual celebration, running May 6-12, coincides with Florence Nightingale’s birthday—a connection to nursing’s roots while acknowledging how far the profession has evolved.
This year’s theme, “Nurses: A Voice of Courage, Commitment and Care,” resonates deeply in a region where nearly 3,000 nurses work across Niagara Health’s network of hospitals and community sites. After years of pandemic pressure, staffing challenges, and record patient volumes, the recognition feels both necessary and overdue.
“What we’re really celebrating is resilience,” explained Dr. Fiona Allan, Niagara Health’s Chief Nursing Executive. “Our nurses have adapted to extraordinary circumstances while maintaining that essential human connection with patients and families.”
When I visited the St. Catharines Site yesterday, nurses gathered in small groups between shifts for a special recognition ceremony. The hospital’s atrium—typically a thoroughfare of hurried staff and worried families—became a space for reflection as colleagues nominated each other for excellence awards.
Among this year’s honorees was Elissa Morrison, a pediatric nurse whose nomination described her ability to “transform frightening medical experiences into moments where children feel safe and understood.” Morrison, accepting her award, credited her team rather than taking individual praise.
“Nursing isn’t a solo act,” she said, adjusting her badge. “It’s what we accomplish together that changes patient outcomes.”
The celebration extends beyond hospital walls. Statistics Canada reports that approximately 47% of Ontario’s registered nurses work in community settings—a growing trend that reflects healthcare’s evolution toward home-based and preventative care. In Niagara, public health nurses, home care specialists, and long-term care professionals are receiving recognition through community partnerships.
Local businesses have joined the appreciation effort. The Benchmark restaurant in Niagara-on-the-Lake offered complimentary desserts to nurses all week, while the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre provided discounted tickets to upcoming shows. These gestures, while small, acknowledge nursing’s broader community impact.
“We’re part of people’s most vulnerable moments,” explained Diego Ruiz, a nurse practitioner at the Port Colborne Site. “Patients remember how you made them feel during crisis—not just the medical interventions.”
The celebration arrives as nursing itself transforms. The Canadian Nurses Association reports that today’s nurses require expertise across increasingly complex technologies while managing higher patient acuity. At Niagara Health, nurses now train on sophisticated simulation equipment at the hospital’s education center, practicing scenarios from virtual pediatric assessments to emergency response.
Yet technological advancement hasn’t replaced nursing’s fundamental human element. Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal demonstrates that robust nursing staffing directly correlates with improved patient outcomes, reduced mortality, and shorter hospital stays.
“The essence of nursing hasn’t changed,” reflected Cheryl Holland, who began her career at Greater Niagara General Hospital in 1983. “We still provide hands-on care while coordinating everything else happening around the patient.”
Holland has witnessed nursing’s evolution firsthand—from paper charting to electronic records, from limited family visiting hours to today’s family presence policies. Through it all, she says, nurses remain the constant at patients’ bedsides.
The celebration comes amid ongoing challenges. Ontario Nurses’ Association data indicates that Niagara, like many regions, continues navigating nursing shortages, with recruitment and retention requiring creative solutions. Niagara Health has responded with expanded mentorship programs, educational partnerships with Brock University and Niagara College, and initiatives focused on staff wellbeing.
“Our nurses deserve more than a week of recognition,” said Lynn Guerriero, President and CEO of Niagara Health. “They deserve sustainable workplaces where they can practice to their full potential.”
As evening deepened over the illuminated falls, I watched nurses arriving for night shift, others departing after twelve hours of care. Some paused briefly to photograph the blue-bathed cascade before continuing their journeys.
“People sometimes ask if I’d choose nursing again, knowing how hard it can be,” Marion told me, gathering her things to head home. “The answer is always yes. Despite everything, it’s still the most meaningful work I can imagine.”
The blue lights will shine throughout the week, visible reminders of those working behind hospital walls, in clinic rooms, and community settings across the region—professionals whose impact extends far beyond any single celebration or recognition.
Tomorrow, when the lights return to their regular programming, Niagara’s nurses will continue their essential work. Recognition week may end, but their courage, commitment and care remains constant—a blue thread woven through our community’s most critical moments.
