Celebrate National Nurses’ Week by having your blood pressure checked by a LincolnHealth nurse or reviewing your medications with a registered pharmacist at the Boothbay Region and Central Lincoln County YMCAs on Monday, May 5.

LincolnHealth nurses are donating their time at both locations to offer free healthcare services in celebration of National Nurses Week (May 6-12), and to thank the community for their support over the years.

From 8 to 11 a.m., nurses, a registered pharmacist and representatives of Lincoln Medical Partners, a multi-specialty physician practice, will be on hand to offer healthcare services and information at the Boothbay Region YMCA. From 1 to 4 p.m., they will be at the CLC YMCA in Damariscotta.

All are welcome, so come and have your blood pressure checked by a nurse, review your medications with a registered pharmacist, receive a free medication reference kit, learn about advanced directives or how to access your medical records online as well as about local physicians.

Christine Anderson, RN, LincolnHealth Director of Nursing, said “We Care Day” is the brainchild of the hospital’s nursing council.

“It is an opportunity for nurses to celebrate our profession by giving,” Anderson said. About 14 nurses are volunteering their time as part of the event.

The day is also a celebration of a special connection between LincolnHealth providers and their community that has helped created a culture of excellence at the community hospital.

In the May issue of Consumer Reports magazine, LincolnHealth received the highest safety rating of any hospital in the nation. That rating is due in large part to the dedication and skill of the nursing staff, including Certified Nursing Assistants, who along with nurses provide most of the hands-on patient care.

Anderson said that culture grows out of a genuine desire to support and help people in the healing process and a sense that nurses are caring for their own friends and neighbors and for a community that has supported them and the hospital over the years.

“We are caring for each other,” Anderson said. “This is our community. There is a pride in giving the best care to our community that we can.”