University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Nurse Excellence Awards was held on Monday, May 8 at the Todd Performing Arts Center at Chesapeake College. The occasion was the premier event in the annual celebration of Nurses’ Week 2017, May 7-12.
Leading the event presentations, Ruth Ann Jones, UM Shore Regional Health’s senior vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer, noted that this year marked the sixth anniversary of the Nurse Excellence Awards and that the 2017 honorees were selected from a total of 48 individual nominations and 10 unit/department nominations, the greatest number submitted since the awards were established. “This awards program was established by nurses and for nurses as a way to recognize those who go above and beyond to always deliver exceptional care,” said Jones.
Ken Kozel, president and CEO, noted the pivotal role that Shore Regional Health’s 600 nurses play in achieving the organization’s vision of being the Region’s Leader in Patient Centered Health Care. “Our nursing team’s strong partnerships with our physicians and other members of the health care team enable us to continue to “raise the bar” on safety, quality and patient experience,” Kozel said.
John Dillon, chairman of the Board of UM SRH, noted that among the constants at UM Shore Regional Health is the outstanding reputation of the nursing team. “When a community member shares a story about an experience at one of our hospitals or outpatient facilities, that story almost always includes the nurse or nurses, often mentioned by name, who provided expert and compassionate care,” Dillon said.
The 2017 Shore Regional Health Nurse Excellence Awards winners are:
Outstanding Achievement in Care Delivery: Commitment to Others – Taffie Wilson, Regional Resuscitation Education Coordinator, Professional Nursing Practice
Outstanding Achievement in Leadership – Vernon Usilton, Clinical Nurse, Emergency Department, UM Shore Medical Center at Easton
Outstanding Achievement in Mentorship/Advocacy – Dawn Ruby, Clinical Nurse, 2 East, UM Shore Medical Center at Easton
Outstanding Achievement in Professional Nursing – Hope Honigsberg, Clinical Nurse, Ambulatory Surgery Center, UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Queenstown
Outstanding Achievement – Promising Professional – April Ewing, Clinical Nurse, Emergency Department, UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester
Unit/Department Excellence in Clinical Outcomes – UM Chester River Home Care
At the event, recognition also was offered to 2016 graduates of the UM SRH Nurse Residency Program (CCU and GU) by Regina Volz, faculty. The graduates are: Lashon Adams, Jessica Appenzeller, Brian Clark, Natalie DiGiovine, Mackenzie Dill, Kimberly Santos Dobbs, Lorrie Foy, Katherine Griffin, Colby Hall, Tricia Hillman, Katherine Jasper, Wendy Jones, James Keener, Ed Luschinski, Kelsey Mills, Colby Plummer, Charity Roop, Christopher Seningen, Kayla Toulson, Danielle Trice, Lauren Trice, Tatyana Valentin, Emily Walls, Kasey Walters, Kristen Wilczenski and Krista Wooters.