FORT BLISS, Texas – William Beaumont Army Medical Center kicked off its 2026 Nurses Week celebrations with an opening ceremony on May 6 in the hospital's dining facility. The event, themed "The Power of Nurses," honored the facility's nurses for their unwavering dedication to patient care, the local community, and military readiness.
The ceremony featured a keynote address from Dr. Linda Lawson, a distinguished El Paso native and nursing leader with 39 years of experience, alongside an awards presentation and a traditional "Blessing of Hands." The blessing, a symbolic gesture dating back to Florence Nightingale, served as a reminder that a nurse's hands always deliver compassionate healing.
Throughout the event, leaders emphasized the critical role nurses play in maintaining a lethal warfighting force by ensuring service members remain healthy and mission ready.
"Nursing and healthcare is not simply what you do—it is who you are. It is compassion in action. It is resilience under pressure. It is teamwork in its most essential form," Lawson said during her address, urging the audience to always keep their focus on the patient.
A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the "Light the Way" award to Judy Quinn, a public health nurse with WBAMC. Quinn was recognized for going above and beyond in patient care and exemplifying the "LIGHTS" values—Love, Inspire, Going above and beyond, Heart, Trust, and Selflessness. Her leadership noted that she not only protects lives but directly strengthens operational readiness and force health protection.
The event also allowed Lawson to reinforce the strong bond between the military installation and the surrounding city.
"Fort Bliss is part of El Paso. It's our identity," Lawson said in an interview following the ceremony. "It's important for El Paso and Fort Bliss to know that we work together. ... We are one."