Hospital Hosts First Annual 5K for Nurses

ORANGE CITY, Fla., June 1, 2016 In recognition of National Nurses Week, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial hosted its first-ever Nurses Run 5K on May 7 for more than 160 runners.

The inaugural Nurse 5K run was a great event that raised awareness for the nurses in our hospital and brought us together as a team, said Florida Hospital Fish Memorial CEO Rob Deininger, who ran the race with his family.

The overall male winner of the race was 13-year-old Micah Wandersleben from Mount Dora, Fla., with a time of 19 minutes and 57 seconds. The overall female winner was 44-year-old April Darrow from Longwood, Fla., with a time of 22 minutes and 22 seconds.

The event also included a children's run, photo booth, face painter, DJ and an Orange City Fire Department firetruck. In addition, Planet Smoothie provided free smoothies for all race-goers. Attendees also had the opportunity to sign a Nurses Week banner, which will hang in the glass hallway of the hospital in recognition of National Nurses Week.

National Nurses Week began on May 6, Nurse Recognition Day, and lasts until May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who founded nursing as a modern profession. Nurses Week is an annual celebration that brings attention to nurses who save lives and improve the health of millions of individuals on a daily basis.

The Nurses Run 5K was developed by Florida Hospital Fish Memorial emergency department manager Wendy Johnson to encourage nurses to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.

It was a beautiful day and we were truly humbled by the support and encouragement from the community, said Johnson. The first annual event is a special moment in time and we are already looking forward to doing this again next year.

About Florida Hospital Fish Memorial

Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is a member of Adventist Health System, a faith-based health care organization with 46 hospital campuses and nearly 8,200 licensed beds in 10 states. With 175-beds, Florida Hospital Fish Memorial is one of the six Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties that composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region. As the largest hospital system in the area, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region has 899 beds and nearly 5,900 employees. With a mission to extend the healing ministry of Christ, the Florida Hospital East Florida Region collectively contributed nearly $120 million in benefits in 2015 to the underprivileged, the community's overall health and wellness and spiritual needs, and capital improvements.