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Working Nurse l WorkingNurse.com 21 January 25-February 22, 2021 (She sent the money home to her moth- er.) Maass was drawn to the study because of the deadly toll she had seen the disease take on the soldiers and civilians she'd cared for. She was the only woman among the 19 volunteers. Why would she participate in this dangerous effort? She must have known the high stakes. Perhaps she believed that having been exposed to afflicted patients had fortified her immune system against the disease or that her youth and strength would give her an advantage should she become ill. Undoubtedly, she believed that if she perished, it would be worth it for the sake of medical progress. Between May and June, Maass was bitten by infected mosquitos six times. In June, she developed a very mild case of yellow fever. Because the doctors weren't sure this was enough to immunize her against the disease, she consented to be bitten a seventh time, on Aug. 14, 1901. This time, Maass was not so lucky. Four days after this last bite, she developed severe yellow fever. She died six days later, only 25 years old. A Lasting Legacy Maass's death brought an end to Reed's human experi- ments, but her sacrifice was not in vain. There was no longer any doubt that mosquitos could transmit the disease, which meant that public health officials could reduce yellow fever outbreaks through mosquito control measures. The deadly experiments also demonstrated that trying to inoculate patients using the full-strength virus was much too dangerous. Work continued on alternatives, eventually leading to the development of a viable yellow fever vaccine in 1936. The vaccine, which is now considered an "essential medicine" by the World Health Organization, uses an attenuated (weakened) live virus to provide lifelong immu- nity with far less risk. Fifty-one years after Maass's death, the Newark hospi- tal where she trained and worked was renamed the Clara Maass Memorial Hospital (now called Clara Maass Medical Center) in her honor. Maass once eloquently declared, "We nurse people, not diseases." She saw that her patients were in need of nurs- ing care and she stepped up to provide it, even at great personal risk. She would no doubt be proud to see the way nurses are continuing to step up and care for patients amid a deadly global pandemic. Like Maass, nurses today don't always know everything about the conditions our patients suffer, but we do know that we'll be by their sides when they need us most _________________________________________________ Jessica Dzubak, RN, MSN, is the director of nursing practice for the Ohio Nurses Association and a freelance writer specializing in the healthcare industry. You can find her most recent feature "Combatting Workplace Violence" at WorkingNurse.com. WN According to Sarah McVanel, M.Sc., founder of Greatness Magnified, teams often miss the opportunity to truly con- nect with each other by engag- ing in meaningful recognition. In her LinkedIn article, "Why We Don't Recognize In Organizations and How to Change That," she says that when she asks audiences what forms of recognition they most appreciate, the most common answers are: • Thank me (95 percent) • Tell me specifically what I'm doing well (92 percent) • Write me a thank you note (88 percent). Teams are a sum of their parts. When those "parts" feel appre- ciated and valued, they are better able to make it through cri- sis after crisis and bounce back from tough days. Where 2020 was the Year of the Nurse, let's make 2021 the Year of the Team, so that no matter what the year may throw at nurses, they'll still feel supported, nurtured and cared for. Renee Thompson, RN, DNP, CSP, is the CEO & Founder of the Healthy Workforce Institute (healthyworkforceinstitute.com). Reach her at renee@healthyworkforceinstitute.com WN 7 NO BE APPRECIATIVE A KINDNESS REVOLUTION "TEAMS ARE A SUM OF THEIR PARTS." (Continued from page 19)