Nurse leaders from Long Island’s not-for-profit and public hospitals gathered Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at the Woodbury Country Club to bestow recognition upon their nurse peers at the Nurse of Excellence Award Ceremony hosted by the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council (NSHC). One nurse from each of the Hospital Council’s member hospitals was nominated for this award, which recognizes outstanding leadership and clinical practice. Of the 24 nominees, Greenlawn resident Donna Tanzi RN, staff development educator for Huntington Hospital, took the top honor as Long Island’s “Nurse of Excellence.”
“I have the utmost admiration for nurses and am honored to be amongst you today,” said Joseph Quagliata, chair of the NSHC and CEO of South Nassau Communities Hospital. “They are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week doing an extraordinary job.”
In her remarks, Tanzi said, “Nursing is a fine art and discipline and requires sensitivity, skill, and dedication. I accept this award on behalf of all nurses.”
Tanzi’s diverse nursing career began 28 years ago. But it is in nursing education where she has made her mark. As Huntington Hospital’s development educator, Tanzi is responsible for both orthopedics and oncology and is a trained End of Life Nursing Education Consortium facilitator. To underscore her commitment to nursing education, she personally established an annual scholarship contributing to the career advancement of a staff member in either baccalaureate or masters nursing program. Tanzi has served as an adjunct nursing faculty member and is currently the clinical instructor working with senior students from the Transcultural Nursing Program at a local university.
“Helping others to grow in the nursing profession is my ultimate gift,” said Tanzi.
The Hospital Council’s annual salute to nurses is fashioned after the New York State Legislature’s Nurse of Distinction Program that ended in 1995. NSHC is one of the few hospital associations in the state to voluntarily continue this program. It is now in its 12th year. The NSHC represents Long Island’s 24 not-for-profit and public hospitals.
For more information about this program and a full listing of nominees, visit www.nshc.org.
Source: Nassau – Suffolk Hospital Council
