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Welcome to the 2021
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Maria and Sam Miller Nursing Excellence Award ceremony.
Thank you for joining us to celebrate and honor
this year's Main Campus Nursing Excellence Award recipients.
Our prestigious Excellence Awards
are a symbol of inspiration pride in exceptional nursing.
The nurses we are recognizing
are among the best of the best.
They embrace our organizational values,
and actively contribute to our mission of caring for life,
researching for health and educating those who serve.
Since the inception of our awards program
we have honored some of the most talented, dedicated
and compassionate nurses
in the history of our great profession.
And making today's celebration even more special
is the fact that this year's award recipients
are receiving this honor
during the year of Cleveland Clinic's
momentous Centennial anniversary.
For a hundred years, Cleveland Clinic nurses
have been providing superior care
to patients from across the globe.
They have made significant contributions
to clinical operations, professional practice, patient care
and the overall advancement of healthcare.
Today you will clearly see
how these Extraordinary Award recipients
are continuing our great legacy.
Their stories showcase, incredible professionalism,
compassion, empathy, and more.
To all of today's honorees
I offer my sincerest congratulations and heartfelt thanks.
Enjoy the ceremony.
We begin tonight's award recognition
with the Nursing Excellence Award.
The Nursing Excellence Award is presented in recognition
of a registered nurse with special skills,
dedication, and compassion
and the delivery of outstanding direct patient care.
The award winner exhibits behaviors
depicted in the professional practice model.
The 2021 honorees are Ellen Bizjak,
Richard E. Jacobs Health Center
Hematology/Oncology Infusion.
Ellen is a gifted certified oncology nurse
and ambulatory team leader.
She has cared for oncology patients as an acute care nurse,
ambulatory care coordinator,
and in her current role
as RN team lead at Richard E. Jacobs Infusion Center.
She leads by example, displaying confidence,
humility, transparency, determination, and knowledge.
Ellen works tirelessly
to create a safe healing environment for all,
providing education to caregivers and patients.
She provides exceptional care,
lessening stress and worry.
Ellen's priority for exceptional care is a blessing.
Julie Savage,
Twinsburg Family Health and Surgery Center.
Julie demonstrates characteristics of caring,
compassion, and leadership.
Because of this,
I asked Julie to become one of my pre-post charge nurses
when I became her manager in 2018.
Julie accepted this challenge and shined.
When asked to run the Walker COVID-19 testing site
and build a team to help me, Julie was an obvious choice.
When I opened the Green testing site,
I needed two strong leads and Julie was one of them.
Julie is caring and compassionate
to her patients and coworkers always taking the time
to teach and support their needs.
Mary Beth Schneeberger
Beachwood Family Health and Surgery Center.
Mary Beth has dedicated her service
to her patients and fellow team members.
She has been a strong presence for years at Beechwood,
patient care, committee work,
she is quick to wheel a patient
to their appointment or to their car.
She has organized, ordered, planned
and helped staff our public flu clinics.
COVID comes along and Mary Beth is devoted
to making things work in a safe manner
for our patients and fellow caregivers.
No task is too great or too small.
Thank you, Mary Beth for being an exceptional nurse
and human being.
Sharon Ungar, Medical Intensive Care Unit.
Sharon embodies excellence in nursing.
She brings joy, kindness, passion
and dedication to her shift each day.
She is invested in her team,
treats each of her colleagues with kindness,
compassion, empathy, and encouragement.
Sharon teaches mentors and befriends everyone on the unit.
She is a trusted ear and a strong shoulder,
professional skilled and knowledgeable,
but more than anything else,
a great human being and an excellent nurse.
Sharon will tell you her patient's life story
with their vitals and advocate tirelessly
for best practice at every bed space.
Congratulations to all
of our Nursing Excellence Award Recipients
for your dedication and compassion
in the delivery of outstanding direct patient care.
The Abbie Porter Leadership Award
is presented in recognition
of the exemplary leadership skills
exhibited by a nursing director or nurse manager.
This award recognizes excellence in leadership,
focusing on Cleveland Clinic values.
The 2021 honoree is Linda Gardner
Peri-operative Nursing Education.
I'm extremely proud of Linda's leadership.
Linda's tireless work and expectations for excellence
drive outcomes, not only in her department
but also with enterprise initiatives and peri-op nursing.
She's beloved by her team
and her efforts to provide the highest standards
and outcomes for caregivers, patients
and the organization are exemplary.
One of her greatest leadership qualities
is coaching and development of her team.
Linda sets high expectations
that foster innovation for educational initiatives,
and takes peri-op nursing to the highest level.
Thank you, Linda,
for your exemplary leadership skills
focused on Cleveland Clinic values.
The Marilyn Tetonis and Corrine Hofstetter
Team Excellence Award
is given to a nursing team
that collectively and collaboratively demonstrate skills,
expertise and personal attributes
that contribute to the delivery of outstanding patient care.
The 2021 honoree is H70 Orthopedic Surgery Unit.
The H70 Nursing Orthopedic Team cares for patients
with total joint, complex extremity and sarcomas surgeries.
The nurse manager, Tanya Mois oversees over 85 nurses,
PCNAs, HUCs, ANM's and an equipment tech.
During the pandemic height
elective surgeries were postponed
and H70 transitioned into a COVID unit.
This team bonded together,
delivering high quality, compassionate care
to their new patient population.
The team remained engaged completing two large CI projects,
improving length of stay, patient experience,
and exceeding quality metrics.
Thank you to the H70 Orthopedic Surgery Unit
for collectively contributing
to the delivery of outstanding patient care.
The Hannah Boland Award for Pediatric Clinical Excellence
was created in Hannah's memory
and is awarded to a pediatric nurse who exemplifies
the special attributes that comfort
our young patients and their families
in a time of great vulnerability and need.
The 2021 honoree is Alexandra Matoney,
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
Alex joined our ambulatory infusion team
just two and a half years ago.
She consistently demonstrates excellence
in all facets of nursing care,
whether it's providing direct patient care,
supporting her coworkers,
or contributing to practice changes.
She's a trusted nurse who regularly speaks up for safety.
One major impact Alex made this past year
was her collaboration with the leadership team
to implement interventions, to prevent ambulatory falls.
Thank you, Alex for dedicating yourself to providing
empathetic, family-centered care
that always puts patients first.
Thank you, Alexandra
for your leadership and collaboration
to provide expanded and high quality care
to patients and families.
The Carol Udycz Memorial Excellence Award
for the Center for Connected Care
is presented in recognition of the special skills, talents,
expertise and personal attributes
that contribute to the delivery of outstanding patient care
in the home care setting.
The 2021 honoree is Young Wook Pak
Cleveland Clinic Center for Connected Care.
Young has been with the Cleveland Clinic for 12 years
and has been certified as a WOCN.
Young's patients have been very thankful
for the quality patient care she has given
and the difference it has made in their lives.
She has truly made an impact on the community she works in.
Young, your willingness to go above and beyond
and help coordinate the perfect care plan for our patients
even on a Saturday is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your dedication.
When you retire, your legacy will live on forever.
Thank you Young for providing outstanding care
in the homes of patients and families
during such a vulnerable and difficult time in their lives.
The Excellence in Care Management Award
is presented in recognition
for those who embrace care coordination
through the development
of strong relationships with patients, families,
and the interdisciplinary team
across the entire continuum of care.
The 2021 honoree is Jennifer Weaver,
Care Coordinator, Pediatric Neuro-oncology/Survivorship.
For the last 31 years Jenny has dedicated herself
to pediatric nursing at Cleveland Clinic Children's.
Her passion for pediatric oncology
led her to our ambulatory unit and care coordination
15 years ago.
Jenny's expertise in pediatric oncology
and coordination for families helps ease the burdens
that come with a childhood cancer diagnosis.
Her personalized care and deep connections with families
continues throughout the cancer journey.
Thank you, Jennifer, for all you've done
for patients and families throughout your career
and continuum of care.
The Zielony Nursing Alliance Award is to honor the work
of an individual registered nurse
who positively impacts the patient care delivery
and workflow within a department.
The 2021 honoree is Kelly Neal,
Primary Care Coordinator, Ambulatory Care Management.
Kelly was nominated for her work
in the COVID home monitoring program.
She was instrumental in supporting so many caregivers
propelled into this work from across the enterprise.
She remained available, resourceful, innovative,
and provided ongoing education on a daily basis.
Kelly has a special skill
for presenting in a calm professional manner,
in the midst of constant change,
and it was appreciated by her peers.
She provided a truly empathetic ear
to caregivers and patients when making calls herself.
Great job, and thank you, Kelly.
Thank you Kelly, for your outstanding efforts
to integrate evidence-based practice
and clinical improvements
to provide exceptional patient care.
The Outstanding Clinical Support Award
is presented annually to a caregiver
who provides outstanding service
to the Zielony Nursing Institute
and serves as a role model to others
by exemplifying our mission to put patients first, always.
The 2021 honoree is Darnell Johnson,
Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit.
Darnell has worked at the clinic for over 20 years.
He exemplifies the Cleveland Clinic's mission
to put patients first and mirrors
Dr. Mihaljevic's sentiment to treat everyone like family.
Darnell takes pride in everything he does.
He maintains the highest standards
and continually improves outcomes in the CVICUs
by constantly maintaining the equipment and supplies
the caregivers need to provide
high quality and safe patient care.
No matter where you are in Main Campus,
everyone knows who Darnell is.
No job task or ask is ever too big or too small
and he always does it with a smile on his face.
Thank you, Darnell,
for your commitment to being a role model to others
by exemplifying our mission to put patients first.
The Nightingale Physician Collaboration Award
is presented in recognition of a physician
who collaborates with nurses
in a professional and positive manner
to achieve a common goal of excellence in patient care.
The 2021 honoree is Dr. Ajit Moghekar,
Medical Intensive Care Unit/Critical Care.
Ajit has been described as a great listener,
trusted, collaborative and sympathetic to nurses,
colleagues, and patients.
He's easy to speak with,
a colleague and a leader we can count on.
Likable and creative.
As the MICU quality officer Ajit has presented
all of the traits and values that his colleagues share.
We are grateful to have a leader who is a team builder,
respectful and collaborative.
Today we honor you with this distinguished award.
Thank you, Dr.Moghekar for your collaboration with nurses
in a professional and positive manner
to achieve a common goal of excellence in patient care.
The Novice Nurse Award is presented to a registered nurse
who's graduated from nursing school
within the past two years.
The individual has exhibited behaviors
depicted in the professional practice model.
The 2021 honoree is Samantha Williams,
Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit.
Sammy demonstrates all the qualities
you seek out in a nurse,
a team player, hard worker, compassionate person.
She's developed into a strong, critical care nurse,
now a resource for our newest nurses.
Sammy hit the ground running after orientation,
making an immediate impact on the unit as a natural leader.
She's taken on quality initiatives
and currently our pressure injury resource nurse.
I can think of countless times seeing Sammy
running from room to room,
making it a priority to help everyone on the unit.
She's truly dedicated to making an impact on patients
and caregivers' lives.
Thank you Samantha,
for demonstrating early in your career
the important skills of the professional practice model
and applying those to your care and support
of patients and colleagues.
Congratulations to all of this year's
Nursing Excellence Main Campus Award honorees.
On behalf of Cleveland Clinic Main Campus Leadership team,
I am amazed by each of you.
Your above and beyond service
raises the bar for nurses everywhere,
and fully captures the essence of our great profession.
You are the perfect example of why our health system
has experienced an entire century of compassionate,
best in class patient care.
It is because of nurses like you,
that we continue to be the global leader
in professional nursing and in healthcare.
You are an inspiration, and exactly the type of nurses,
Maria and Sam Miller had in mind
when they endowed this program many years ago.
We will forever be thankful to them,
for allowing us this opportunity to celebrate you tonight.
As we sign off, I would like to take a quick moment
to express my appreciation
to all of the individuals involved
in making this virtual ceremony so wonderful.
Your efforts are very much appreciated.
This has been the 2021
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Maria and Sam Miller Nursing Excellence Award ceremony.
Thank you for watching.
And once again, congratulations
to all of this year's remarkable honorees.
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