American Holistic Nurses Association Sponsored Nursing Displays at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) recently prepared 3 nursing displays, which celebrate 2020 The Year of the Nurse, for the local Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. The displays feature nursing figurines in the AHNA Nursing Memorabilia Collection.
The themes of the three displays featured are the “200th Anniversary of Florence Nightingale”, “Nursing in the Military” and the “Future of Nursing”.
The 200th Anniversary of Florence Nightingale display features 5 pieces including the Nightingale Pledge, a Florence Nightingale china plate, 2 Florence Nightingale figurines, and a tea set featuring Nightingale.
Nursing in the Military features 4 pieces: “The Price of Freedom,” “The Nurse” coin and miniature statue used as the initial fundraiser for what is now the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, in the Constitution Gardens of the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., Cadet Nurse Corps (1943-1944) recruitment posters, and a Black Military Vietnam Nurse statue.
The Future of Nursing collection features 5 pieces titled “Vitals”, “Minor Setbacks”, “Patient Update”, “White Caps of Caring” and “America’s Heroes”.
The American Holistic Nurses Association owns one of the largest Nursing Memorabilia Figurine Collections in the country. AHNA received the collection from the Kansas Nurses Foundation (KNF) in early 2019. The collection was originally owned by Benedict and Elizabeth “Betty” Stanislav from Omaha, Nebraska. Betty Stanislav amassed the collection while working in the nursing profession for over twenty-nine years.
In 2008, Betty donated the collection to the Kansas Nurses Foundation (KNF) where it was on display at 1109 SW Topeka Blvd, the Kansas State Nurses Association (KSNA) Headquarters until 2017. When KSNA sold their building, the KNF relocated to 2900 SW Plass Court, the AHNA National Headquarters, where AHNA facilitated the use of the “Board Room” to display the collection in display cases.
In late 2018, the Kansas Nurses Foundation approached AHNA about gifting the entire Stanislav Nursing Memorabilia Figurine Collection. The KNF Board of Trustees, by unanimous vote in January 2019, determined that since AHNA was a larger national organization, that the collection would be better suited owned and displayed as envisioned by the original donator of the collection. Since then AHNA has enjoyed ownership of this collection and is pleased to show off the Nursing Memorabilia Figurines to those who visit the AHNA headquarters.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”, in honour of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. The year 2020 is significant for WHO in the context of nursing and midwifery strengthening for Universal Health Coverage. The world needs 18 million more health workers to achieve and sustain universal health coverage by 2030. Approximately half of that shortfall – 9 million health workers – are nurses and midwives. Celebrate Nurses and Midwives as they continue to provide quality support to their patients through these troubling times.
