Nightingale Awards to honor exceptional nurses across the state

Oakland University’s School of Nursing and its Board of Visitors will recognize exceptional nurses “leading the way” from all over the state of Michigan and Canada at the 21st Annual Nightingale Awards for Nursing®. The awards were created to promote nursing’s critical role in health care and the array of ways that nurses care for America’s citizens and is the only one of its kind in the state.

The awards ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5, at the San Marino Club in Troy. The prestigious event will include an authentic sit-down dinner and silent auction. High bidders at the auction could go home with a seven-day cruise to the Caribbean, a Treetops Resort ski package, an Ipod Touch or one of many other items. WDVD 96.3 morning show co-host Lisa Jesswein will be this year’s emcee.

More than 800 nurses, physicians and nurse administrators, as well as family members and friends of winners and runners-up, will attend this year’s ceremony. Honorees were nominated by their peers, supervisors, friends or patients for superior service and contributions. St. John Health System is the Presenting Sponsor for this year’s event. Other sponsors include Henry Ford Health System, Detroit Medical Center, William Beaumont Hospitals, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Garden City Hospitals, Crittenton Hospital Medical Center, Kelly Healthcare Resources and St. Joseph Mercy Oakland.

Each winning recipient will receive a check for $1,000, a bronze statue of Florence Nightingale and a pin. Runners up will receive a plaque and pin.

For more information, or for tickets to the event, please call Amy Holloway-Yurgalonis at (248) 370-3799.

Winners of 2009 Nightingale Awards are:

• Administration: Lucille Musser Arking – Select Specialty Hospital-Pontiac

• Advanced Nurse Practice: Diana Labumbard – Huron Valley Sinai Hospital

• Education & Research: Mary Golinski – William Beaumont Hospital-Grosse Pointe

• Long Term Care / Rehabilitation: Julia Libcke – DMC-Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan

• Nursing in the Community: Laurel Felsenfeld – Aging Answers LLC & Axis Care Management

• Oakland University Distinguished Alumni: Judith Pegg – William Beaumont Hospital-Troy

• Staff Nurse Practice: Alison Sachse – St. John Providence Hospital

• Staff Nurse Practice: Karen Safko – Northern Michigan Regional Medical Center

• People’s Choice: Suzanne Zayan – St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital

Nightingale Award runners-up for 2009 are:

• Administration: Kathleen Urban – Garden City Hospital

• Advanced Nurse Practice: Rita DiBiase – Karmanos Cancer Institute

• Education & Research: Michelle Farkas – Cameron-DMC-Sinai Grace Hospital

• Long Term Care / Rehabilitation: Judith Murphy – Garden City Hospital

• Nursing in the Community: Sister Hilda Nadine Sheehan – Neighbors Caring for Neighbors Clinic-Henry Ford Home Care

• Oakland University Distinguished Alumni: Marilyn Maggioncalda – St. John Providence Hospital

• Staff Nurse Practice: Josephine Garnoc-William Beaumont Hospital – Grosse Pointe

• Staff Nurse Practice: Sheri Frank – DMC-Detroit Receiving Hospital

• People’s Choice: Stephanie Kearney – Oakwood Home Care