Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital recognized the facility's outstanding Magnet nurses with a presentation of educational scholarship awards during the 12th annual Evening of Magnetism. Emory Saint Joseph's CEO Heather Dexter, Emory Healthcare Hospital President Dane Peterson and chief nurse executive Sharon Pappas were on hand to celebrate the event along with physicians, staff and board members.
The awards recognize nurses for their leadership, outstanding performance in a clinical specialty, compassionate care of patients at the hospital and through their humanitarian work on mission trips, as well as adherence to the Mercy Mission of Emory Saint Joseph's. As Atlanta's first hospital, Saint Joseph's was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1880, with a mission of providing compassionate, clinically excellent health care to those in need, with special attention to the poor and vulnerable.
"The Evening of Magnetism gives us the opportunity to recognize the wonderful care our nurses provide every day for our patients, and our generous donors have created a legacy at Emory Saint Joseph's with their desire to highlight our amazing nurses," says Dexter.
Some of the award winners and their extraordinary work include Deborah Wilkens, who has supported and assisted out-of-town families with personal needs while their family member has been a long-term patient in the hospital; and Dominique Guillaume, who used personal vacation days to travel to Haiti, providing care for residents after Hurricane Matthew.
The 2016 recipients and their awards are as follows:
- Mercy Leadership Award:
Tamera Jacobs, RN, and Sandra Larry - Seymour P. Weinberg, MD, Memorial Scholarship for Exemplary Performance within a Clinical Specialty:
Iris Miller, RN; Sheila Gilbert, RN; and Tammy Ortiz-Tomei, RN - Ernest W. Franklin, III MD, Award for Compassionate Care of Patients:
Genevieve Lyons, RN, and Pam McInerney, RN - Kenneth E. Thomas, MD, Award for Nursing Excellence:
Diane Knoche, RN, and Martine Sanchez, RN - Steven L. Sanders, MD, Perioperative Service Award:
Brandie Lee, RN - Dr. and Mrs. Stanley Mogelnicki Humanitarian Award for Nursing:
Cindy Batten, RN, and Dominique Guillaume, RN - Patrick J. McGahan Award for Nurses as Teachers:
Jodi Langford, RN - WINGS Volunteer Nurse Services Award:
Deborah Wilkens, RN, and Ysabel Vega, RN - William M. and Mary K. Brooks Outstanding Nurse Leader Award:
Cindy May, RN
While the Evening of Magnetism honors the facility's Magnet nurses, the name of the event is also an acknowledgement of Emory Saint Joseph's status as a Magnet® designated hospital for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Emory Saint Joseph's received its first Magnet® designation in 1995, and was among the first three hospitals in the world to earn this honor. Since that time, Emory Saint Joseph's was the first community hospital in the world to achieve its fifth consecutive Magnet® designation in 2014.
Emory Saint Joseph's is a member of Emory Healthcare, the only healthcare system in the state to have three Magnet-designated hospitals, which also includes Emory University Hospital and Emory University Orthopaedics & Spine Hospital.