This is an official press release by the American Nurses Association\California, Shriners Children's Northern California, and BALA Footwear.
Sacramento, CA – BALA Footwear teamed up with the American Nurses Association\California (ANA\California) Wednesday to donate 100 pairs of shoes to the nurses at Shriners Children’s Northern California in recognition of their exceptional service to some of our most vulnerable populations.
“This generous donation from BALA Footwear is also very meaningful. Our nurses are on their feet, day after day and night after night, providing personalized care to their patients and support to families,” said Kanoe Allen, RN, Nurse Executive. “This gift coming during Nurses’ Week couldn’t be better. The addition of community recognition to our hospital celebration affirms the importance of their work.
Nurses at Shriners Children’s are well known for delivering exceptional care. During the height of the pandemic, the nursing team at Shriners Children’s went above and beyond in their duty to care for patients and their families during difficult and isolated times.
“We are extremely honored to work with Shriners Hospital in donating 100 pairs of BALA Footwear to their nursing staff. We designed our best-in-class performance shoes with nurse-specific features to ensure holistic well-being from the ground up. We wanted to give back to the community and say thank you for all that they do for others," said Brian Lockard, Co-Founder and CEO of BALA.
The donation is part of a larger mental health campaign by the ANA\California to improve nurses’ access to mental health services and solutions.
“The state of nurses’ mental health is not only a concern for patient safety but also the integrity of existing healthcare systems,” said Dr. Marketa Houskova, Executive Director at ANA\California. “To adequately address these issues, we must remove barriers impeding nurses’ access to mental health care as well as foster new policies and partnerships to increase support for our profession. Collaboration with BALA Footwear is the first of many opportunities we’re looking forward to this year.”
BALA Footwear and the ANA\California will continue their tour throughout California to raise awareness for nurses’ mental health.
Three hospitals in San Francisco are slated to receive donations in the early Fall.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marketa Houskova, RN
Executive Director, ANA\California
Dr. Kanoe Allen, RN
Nurse Executive, Shriners Children's Northern California
Brian Lockard
Co-Founder & CEO, BALA Footwear
*For media inquiries, please reach out to communications@anacalifornia.org.