For more information:
Laurel Keller, Director of Communications
Miracle Resources LLC.
330-777-2003 ext. 2
lk@miracleresources.com
Michele Egan, VP, Corp. Comm.
The Center for Health Affairs
216.255.3610
michele.egan@chanet.org
The Center for Health Affairs and The Northeast Ohio Nursing Initiative Celebrate the
Legacy of Nursing
Cleveland, Ohio – Community and business leaders and citizens came together for The Center for Health Affairs and NEONI (The Northeast Ohio Nursing Initiative) Legacy of Nursing Gala on Saturday, October 7, 2006 at the IX Center. The shortage of nurses is at a crisis level and the gala helped to tell the story of the rich history of the nursing profession and the promise for the future of nursing.
The event was held to honor those who have helped grow the nursing profession by recognizing another era of tremendous shortage in our country. During World War II, Representative Frances Payne Bolton sponsored federal legislation leading to the formation of the Cadet Nurse Corps of the Public Health Service. Before disbanding in 1948, the Corps program generated more than 124,000 nurses. Four members of the Cadet Nurse Corps attended the gala.
The theme was a 1940s World War II era event that included a historical area honoring Nursing and the Mobile Hospital, courtesy of the United States Army.
Honorees included:
The Community Leader Award was presented to Mary Lou Stricklin, President & CEO, Visiting Nurse Association Healthcare Partners of Ohio for her tireless work throughout her career as a champion of the nursing profession. She is an advocate for many successful nursing workforce initiatives in Northeast Ohio that address both clinical and education innovation and excellent patient care. Jane Fusilero, Chief Nursing Officer and a Vice President of MetroHealth Medical Center presented the Community Leader award.
The NEONI Legacy Award was presented to Congressman Dave Hobson. Congressman Hobson, now a Federal legislator representing Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, was selected for his work as a state legislator that created a comprehensive program (Hobson Act of Ohio) to prevent the spread of HIV disease and help those already ill. This groundbreaking work improved access and quality of care for those with HIV disease and helped to provide a safer environment for nurses and physicians to deliver patient care in the community. The award was presented by Claire Young, Chief Nursing Officer for the Cleveland Clinic.
The Neoni Partner in Nursing award was presented to the Frances Payne Bolton Family. Frances Payne Bolton was a Federal legislator (1940-1969), and lifelong champion of professional nursing. During World War II, Representative Bolton created legislation (the Bolton Act of 1943) establishing the Cadet Nurse Corps program to address a national shortage of registered nurses that resulted in the addition of 124,000 nurses to the workforce. Bill Bolton accepted the award, which was presented by Ron Dziedzicki, Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer and General Manager of Operations at University Hospitals at Case University Hospital.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jane Mahowald, Executive Director of The Ohio League for Nursing for her lifelong dedication and work to further nursing education in the region and throughout the state. One of her most significant accomplishments was her work with nursing deans and directors in other Ohio regions to approve and adopt a statewide nursing education articulation program. The ONCEM program supports the pursuit of advanced education for licensed practical nurses to become registered nurses and registered nurses to obtain a baccalaureate degree in nursing without repeating duplicative coursework, thus saving time and expense.
In early 2000, the Northeast Ohio Nursing Initiative (NEONI) was created under the auspices of CHA to address the growing nationwide crisis and shortage of professional nurses. Over the past five years, NEONI has created programming to encourage individuals to pursue a nursing career, provided substantive data to measure the supply and demand of nurses, and worked with nursing educators and healthcare employers to address the challenges in sustaining a high-quality nursing workforce. Today, NEONI has a membership of 126 individuals from 53 organizations, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health care agencies, schools of nursing, professional nursing organizations, and individuals. More information on NEONI is available by calling 216-696-6900 or visiting www.neoni.org.
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