Amazing nurses from the Lublin region - winners of the Florence Nightingale medal

Krystyna Szpak-Lipińska

Abstract

The Florence Nightingale Medal is the highest honor awarded since 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross to qualified nurses who are active members of the National Association of the Red Cross, the Red Crescent or other institutions dealing with medical assistance. It is awarded to individuals who have distinguished themselves by deeds requiring sacrifice and exceptional courage in providing aid to the population, both in times of war and peace, providing assistance to victims of conflicts, disasters and catastrophes. The initiative to commemorate Florence Nightingale’s extraordinary deeds to improve care for the wounded and sick came at the Eighth Conference of the International Committee of the Red Cross in London, and on the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the first Medals were awarded on May 12, 1920. Among the 103 Polish laureates of the Florence Nightingale medal - nurses and paramedics hailing from different backgrounds and regions of our country - there are also nurses from the Lublin region, and this article is devoted to them. There are presented the silhouettes of Jadwiga Wanda Ściepko (1921-2008), who received the Florence Nightingale Medal on May 12, 2001; Anna Ginalska (1932-2022), who received the Florence Nightingale Medal on May 12, 2007 and associated, although briefly with the Lublin region Countess Maria Tarnowska (1880-1966) who received the Florence Nightingale Medal in 1923.