By Timothy Blake Donohoo
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation will be joining the nonprofit organization Nurses With Global Impact to honor nurses at the combined 4th and 5th annual International Nurses Day celebration. The virtual event, held Friday, May 14, will cap off a week of appreciation for nurses in a time where their compassion and contributions are felt more strongly than ever.
Nurses With Global Impact, Inc. (NWGI) was founded by Deb O’Hara-Rusckowski, a registered nurse, activist and Board Member of the Gold Foundation. NWGI’s mission is to unite nurses across the world and shine a light on the incredible work that they accomplish in the trenches of healthcare. The Gold Foundation has supported this event for several years, though last year’s celebration was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Cathy Miller will be honored by Nurses With Global Impact, Inc. during the 4th and 5th International Nurses Day celebration.
Sixteen nurses will be honored at the celebration, including one nurse and activist nominated by the Gold Foundation: Dr. Cathy Miller, who has worked with anti-human trafficking organizations for more than a decade. She offers training across the world on fighting human- and child-sex-trafficking and addressing complex trauma. She and her research team have recently completed the first study to note key elements of teaching healthcare professionals about recognition, intervention and referral of trafficking victims, which has influenced the guidance Shared Hope International provides to healthcare teams.
Dr. Miller has more than 20 years of experience as an ER, ICU, and trauma registered nurse. She has served as a trainer for the National Human Trafficking Training and Assistance Center, Co-Chair of the Texas Coastal Bend Border Region Human Trafficking Task Force, Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Tyler, and Research Professor at Texas A&M University Corpus Christie.
The International Nurses Day Celebration will feature two keynote speakers. One of them, Elissa Ladd, PhD, RN, FNP‐BC, received NWGI’s “Inspiring Global Nurse Award” in 2019. She will present a presentation titled “Nurses on the Frontline,” which focuses on the extensive care given by nurses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The other keynote speaker, Jenna McKaye, is the founder of the Jenna McKaye Foundation. She is an activist, author and abuse survivor who overcame the horrors of sex trafficking and now uses her experience to help others in that situation.
This focus on human trafficking stems from the unfortunate rise during the COVID-19 crisis. NWGI will donate all proceeds from registration to train more healthcare professionals to help fight human trafficking.
For more information, visit Nurses With Global Impact’s website.
