As May begins, there are so many wonderful events to look forward to and celebrate. May Day, Star Wars Day, “May the 4th be with you” and Cinco De Mayo. We honor our mothers and our maternal figures with Mother’s Day. We also celebrate confirmations, graduations and Memorial Day!
That is a lot to keep track of and trying to remember all of the important events and recognizing each one can sometimes be a bit too much for us.
There are two additional things that I would like to point out that are important in the Month of May.
National Nurses Week is held May 6 through 12. I’d bet nearly every one of us knows a nurse and how dedicated they are to the work they do, not only to provide the best possible health care, but also provide compassion, empathy and true caring for the emotional and mental wellbeing of their patients.
When I hear politicians make remarks such as those made recently by Sen. Maureen Walsh from Washington, if it weren’t so serious, I would almost think those statements are made on purpose to get the public to stand up and take notice of the conditions the nursing profession faces day to day. With fewer and fewer young people entering the nursing profession and unemployment at an all-time low, nurses in all fields of care are doing more than ever.
One insensitive, uneducated comment has done more to support our nation’s nursing professional than any large-scale marketing campaign could ever hope to accomplish. Sen. Walsh must have a basic education that would provide her basic observation skills. How could she possibly mean what she said? I dissected it word for word, there is no way that could have been taken out of context. If you have been following along, her office has received at least 1,700 decks of cards.
Hopefully she will find a use for them. Maybe she can send them to a few bars in Wisconsin so we can hold a charitable euchre tournament with funds going to provide more nursing scholarships. May is also Mental Health Awareness Month.
The Monroe Chamber of Commerce is going to be working with the University of Wisconsin on a research project that will help Green County employers identify the mental health and wellness needs of their employees. It will also identify gaps in available resources in rural communities. The data collection will span a 5 year period. An annual survey will be available for employers to submit and additional opportunities for participation will be available. All Green County businesses are strongly encouraged to participate. I will be sharing further details on our website as soon as they are finalized. This is our opportunity to make changes to an already overwhelming responsibility of business ownership.
Many small businesses do not have access to mental health or wellness programs at a level that can match the needs of their employees. I speak frequently with business owners who view their employees as family and employees who look at their bosses in the same way. This is a wonderful benefit of small business ownership, and most Green County businesses are considered small businesses. It is more frequent than we want to admit, but mental health issues or even crises do occur, and many times the business owner is the one who is called in as the emergency contact.
Being part of an initiative that will shed light on mental health needs in a rural community is not an opportunity we should take lightly. Each one of us is affected by mental health needs, personally or by direct contact with others.
So please take a moment to look around and find help if you need it, offer assistance if you can provide it and take few extra seconds before you react to something that does not settle well with you. You may not know what the other person is going through. Oftentimes, they don’t want you to know, but a simple, unexpected kindness might just be a bright spot in someone’s day.
Have a great May. And remember, enjoy Monroe.
— Melissa Even is the executive director for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at melissa@monroechamber.org.
