CVMC celebrates Nurses Week with Rose Black, LNA Excellence awards

This year's nursing award recipients, pictured with President and Chief Operating Officer Anna Noonan, far left, and Chief Nursing Officer Matthew Choate are, from left, Valerie Broe, Emily Davidson, Donna Powers, Andrea Sweet, Wendy MacKinney and “Genevieve “Gigi” Hansen.

Berlin, Vt. — A standing room-only crowd of families and staff congratulated recipients of the 17^th annual Rose Black Nursing Excellence and sixth annual LNA Excellence in Clinical Practice awards during Nurses Week celebrations at The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) May 9.

Rose Black Awards are bestowed upon three nurses—one each at the hospital, Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing and CVMC Medical Group Practices. They recognize professional, compassionate, nurturing, dependable nurses with bright, positive attitudes.

The Rose Black Award is named for the philanthropist born Raissa Vasilevskaya in Ukraine. In line with her own life of service and Jewish faith, Black treasured the service offered by others. It was in this spirit of gratitude she sought to establish the annual Rose Black Award for Nursing Excellence at CVMC, where she herself was treated beginning in 2000 after arriving in Vermont. Members of Black’s family, including daughter Edith Black Zfass and granddaughter Deborah Black, MDCM, a CVMC neurologist, attended the ceremony.

Dr. Black recalled her grandmother as someone who, when tending to her own ill children, “instinctively knew what to do,” who “moved with such grace, such poise” and whose compassion and foresight made the award in her name possible.

Black Zfass explained her mother’s wish to recognize the important work nurses do and proclaimed, to laughter and applause, “I have seen for myself that nurses rock.”

The awards were presented by Chief Nursing Officer Matthew Choate, Sharon Bisson, Director of Nursing for CVMC Medical Group Practices, and Allen Yearick, Interim Administrator at Woodridge, as well as leaders and colleagues who work alongside the recipients. 2018’s Rose Black Nursing Excellence Award recipients are:

• Andrea Sweet, RN, Medical-Surgical Unit;
• Genevieve “Gigi” Hansen, RN, Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing;
• Wendy MacKinney, RN, Medical Group Practices.

LNA Excellence in Clinical Practice Award

The LNA Excellence in Clinical Practice Award is presented annually to licensed nursing assistants (LNAs) who demonstrate exemplary patient care skills, a strong and current clinical knowledge base and excellent communication skills with patients, families and colleagues. 2018’s recipients are:

• Donna Powers, LNA, Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing;
• Valerie Broe, LNA, Nursing Resource Pool;
• Emily Davidson, LNA, Medical Group Practices.                 

Additional nominees for this year’s awards are: