Honoring the Heart of Healthcare: Celebrating Our Care Navigators During National Nurses Week
Every year, May 6-12 marks National Nurses Week—a time to recognize the unwavering dedication, skill, and compassion that nurses bring to every corner of the healthcare system.
First established in 1954 and celebrated annually during the week of Florence Nightingale’s birthday (May 12), this week honors the incredible individuals who show up every day to care for others, advocate for patients, and bring calm to some of life’s most uncertain moments.
A Thank You to Nurses Everywhere
To the nurses who comfort patients during long hospital stays and recoveries, advocate for safer systems, and deliver care with a steady hand—we see you, and we are grateful.
Nurses are often the first to notice a small change that prevents a major setback. They’re the ones who listen when others are too busy. They are the patient’s advocate and serve as the bridge between the system and the individual – that makes all the difference.
At Deacon, Nurses Are the Core of Our Care Model
Our model wouldn’t function without the compassion and expertise of our care navigators—licensed nurses who walk alongside patients and providers through complex MSK and post-acute episodes of care.
They’re not just an add-on to our technology. They are the soul of our solution.
We have two types of navigators who work in tandem to ensure patients are supported from every angle:
Patient Navigators: The Patient’s Companion Through Care
Think of our patient navigators as a dedicated guide. They are someone patients (and their families) can turn to throughout their entire care journey.
From the moment surgery is recommended to the day recovery is complete, our patient navigators are there to:
- Explain what to expect before, during, and after surgery
- Prepare patients for check-in and discharge
- Answer questions and ease anxieties
- Ensure every step is tailored and understood
- Serve as a reliable point of contact for both patients and providers
Whether it’s managing expectations or addressing a last-minute concern, patient navigators bring clarity, empathy, and real-time support when it matters most.
Our patient navigators don’t just explain care plans, they offer comfort, connection, and advocacy when patients need it most.
Transition Navigators: Behind-the-Scenes Coordination that Drives Better Outcomes
While patient navigators support the individual directly, our transition navigators work behind the scenes with facilities and providers to keep everything on track.
Transition navigators:
- Ensure facilities are prepared for incoming patients
- Share care plans and discharge timelines with care teams
- Coordinate changes to care plans and flag any deviations
- Track whether patients are “on track” or “off track” in their recovery
- Help reduce avoidable delays, overutilization, and miscommunication
Together, our transition navigators make sure the system itself is ready to support the patient journey—without unnecessary stays or added stress.
As Patty Ruder, one of our dedicated transition navigators, puts it:
"I love being a nurse because it gives me the chance to support patients who might not have anyone else looking out for them—especially our older adults. A lot of them feel forgotten once they leave the hospital, and I get to be the person who checks in, listens, and makes sure they have what they need to heal. It’s not just medical guidance—it’s human connection during a really vulnerable time."
That kind of compassion is what defines care at Deacon and what makes Nurses Week so worth celebrating.
More Than a Model—It’s a Mission
At Deacon, we know the specialty care system needs improvement. Our navigators are here to fix that. They bring peace of mind, transparency, and trust necessary for providing quality care and improving outcomes.
So this week, and every week, we say thank you to the nurses on our team—and to the nurses everywhere who make healthcare more human.
Happy National Nurses Week from all of us at Deacon Health.
We’re honored to support you, celebrate you, and build a better system together—one patient, one episode at a time.
To learn more about how our care navigators are driving change in the industry, follow us on LinkedIn where we profile these pillars of the organization.