Providing Care During the Pandemic

A Perioperative Nurse's Point of View

The pandemic has impacted our personal and professional lives in so many ways. For Carol Lincoln, RN, a perioperative nurse who works in our Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), or Recovery Room, changes came fast and furious in the early days of COVID-19. And things continue to change as we adapt to the virus and variants like delta. A summer surge of COVID-19 cases, an influx of patients needing care unrelated to the virus and workforce shortages impacting just about every area of the hospital ar [...]

Telemetry Technician's Curiosity Prevents Life-Threatening Heart Issue

Rhythms, waveforms and alarms keep CVPH Telemetry Technician Tonya LaFountain on her toes as she maintains a constant watch on her patients on R3 every day. It was Tonya’s attention to those details, a strong curiosity and a willingness to speak up that may ultimately have saved the life of a patient. On a morning last spring, Tonya was in the midst of the usual hustle and bustle of her work when she noticed something just did not seem right with one of her patients. The woman was being [...]

OR Nurse Helping Lead Next Generation of RNs at CVPH

Paige Garnot, BSN, RN Honored With DAISY Award

The Operating Room is one of the busiest places you will find at CVPH. It takes a team effort to make every procedure happen. One of the Registered Nurses frequently in the room is Paige Garnot, who has been named the latest recipient for of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at the hospital. As an Operating Room Nurse, Paige has many important responsibilities. Chief among them is serving as a patient advocate while the patient is under anesthesia during the procedure. She makes sure t [...]

Nursing Team Inspires Donation to Foundation of CVPH

Former patient grateful for care she received

Lying in a hospital bed, battling to breathe, was not the start to 2021 that Jane Woods envisioned. But after taking on COVID-19 for four days at CVPH, she left with a renewed sense of hope and overwhelming gratitude that she shared through a generous donation to The Foundation of CVPH’s Honor a Caregiver program. The 73-year-old Plattsburgh resident’s fight with the dreadful disease began as we kicked off a new year near the height of the pandemic in the United States. Like many [...]

Emergency Department Nurse Honored With DAISY Award

Heather Cartee, RN nominated for life-changing care

It is not often that Tiffany Bombard, NRP, MD gets to work with Heather Cartee, RN in the Emergency Department at CVPH. When she does, however, she is thoroughly impressed. “Heather leads from the front,” Dr. Bombard noted in an email nominating Heather for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. “She ultrasounds impossible IVs, stocks linen and thinks on her feet about medications and situations. She is happy. She works hard. She is a fantastic team player who encourages [...]

Emergency Nurse Goes Above and Beyond for Patient, Family

Judd Collier, RN Honored with DAISY Award

A potentially scary trip to the Emergency Department for a baby boy and his family was much easier to bear thanks to CVPH’s tenth DAISY Award winner, Judd Collier, RN. Judd was surprised with the award during a ceremony in the ED. Working as a nurse in any area of the hospital can bring extremely busy shifts. That was exactly the case when Paige LaDuke came to the hospital with her infant son and husband. Judd had just joined the Emergency Department team from the Progressive Care unit [...]

A Bond is Born

Nurse Honored with DAISY Award for Care of Fellow RN

Caring for our patients and each other is the theme behind CVPH’s newest DAISY Award winner, Melissa Hamel, RNC-OB, C-EFM. Melissa was surprised with the award during a ceremony at the Alice T. Miner Women and Children’s Center at CVPH. As a nurse in the Women and Children’s Center, you never know what’s going to walk in the door. For Melissa on one day in April, it turned out to be a bond that she and her patient will never forget. One of the reasons behind that [...]

Emergency Department Receives National Certification Champion Award

The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) was named a 2020 National Certification Champion Award winner by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing (BCEN). The honor was announced during a virtual ceremony streamed across the country last month. The BCEN is considered the benchmark for board certification across the emergency nursing spectrum. CVPH competed against large healthcare organizations nationwide. The hospital was recognized for hav [...]

Bryant Watson, RN Honored With DAISY Award

Progressive Care nurse nominated for calming presence

Words can be an enormously powerful part of the healing process, sometimes making all the difference for a patient. That’s a big part of what motivates CVPH’s 8th DAISY Award Winner Bryant Watson. “The most rewarding part of my job is getting to help people,” Watson said. “I want my patients to understand what is going on and do my best to lessen their anxiety. I try to let them know that as frustrating as it can be to be stuck in the hospital, it is a process, a [...]

Leading and Learning

Nurses Recognized for Professional Development

Two nurses at the FitzPatrick Cancer Center have been honored with Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) awards as part of their dedication to improving the lives of their patients. Colleagues gathered for a surprise ceremony in the FCC for Rene Cooper, BSN, RN, OCN and Nora Mockus, BSN, RN. Both nurses are veterans of the LEAD program at CVPH. This is Cooper’s third time through and it is Mockus’ second. “It was a little easier the second time around, because I kn [...]

CVPH Meets Retired Nurse's Lofty Expectations

Patient Received Urgent Care She Needed

Plattsburgh resident Barbara Thompson knows a thing or two about providing excellent care. The 96-year-old guided countless patients to better outcomes as a public health nurse in the city for more than a decade. But in the early morning hours of June 1, Thompson suddenly found herself on the receiving end of care. She woke up in the middle of the night with significant pain in the area of her left shoulder and immediately began worrying about a potential heart attack. A short time later, [...]

Why I Give

Robin Bashaw, RN Is Paying It Forward

When it came to figuring out what Robin Bashaw wanted to do when she grew up, there was never really any doubt. “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse ever since I was a little girl,” Bashaw explained. What started as a dream when she was a child is now a reality every day as an RN with Progressive Care. But that dream may not have come true without help from the Foundation at CVPH. “I used Foundation of CVPH grants to get my way through nursing school,” Bashaw [...]

Jill Kanaly-Demers, RN, BS, CHPN, Honored by CVPH with DAISY Award

Palliative Care nurse nominated for helping patient, family prepare for difficult decisions

Planning for a loved one’s end of life can be a tough, emotional process. Today, staff members at the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital came together to recognize one nurse’s extraordinary effort to help a local family find peace.   Jill Kanaly-Demers, RN, BS, CHPN was nominated for the DAISY Award after working with family members of an 89-year-old patient in declining health. He and his wife of more than 60 years were both [...]

Danielle Martin, RN, CMSRN Honored by CVPH with DAISY Award

Oncology nurse nominated for care of dying patient and family on Christmas Day

Danielle Martin, RN, CMSRN of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Inpatient Oncology Unit (R5) was today honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ®.  Martin was selected for the honor after a hospital committee reviewed nominations submitted by coworkers, patients and patient families.  Her nomination, offered by a colleague detailed the care and compassion she showed a dying patient and his family on [...]

Sharron Aabye, RN, Honored with DAISY Award

CVPH Program celebrates extraordinary nurses

Sharron Aabye, RN, of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Case Management Department was honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® today.  The 35-year employee of CVPH was nominated for her efforts in securing an MRI for a patient who needed special accommodations.  After days of research, Aabye located the ideal site for the test and then collaborated with a team at CVPH and others to schedule the di [...]

Kiesha Holmes, RN, Honored with DAISY Award

CVPH Program celebrates extraordinary nurses

Kieisha Holmes, RN of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® on Thursday, April 11.  Holmes was nominated by the family of an ICU patient who had made the selfless decision to become an organ donor.  In nominating Holmes, the family wrote, “This nurse was so kind, caring, respectful, and considerate. They continued to care for [...]

Catherine LaPier, RN Never Wastes An Opportunity to Help

Adirondack Medical Home Care Manager Helps Patient One Last Time

When Catherine LaPier, RN dreamt about a career in health care as a 16 year-old nurse aide, it was a sure bet that arranging a patient’s funeral was not part of the plan. Yet that’s exactly what she found herself doing years later as an Adirondack Medical Home Care Manager.  “I initially considered becoming a pharmacist but eventually decided on nursing,” explained Catherine, who, like many in her profession, became a nurse to help people in their time of need. In [...]

Cathy Maisano, RN, CCM Receives DAISY Award

National program recognizes extraordinary nurses

Cathy Maisano, RN, CCM of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) was honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® on Friday, October 12 at CVPH.  Based on nominations from patients, their families and coworkers, the DAISY Award is part of a nation-wide initiative spearheaded by the DAISY Foundation to recognize and reward nurses for making a meaningful difference in the lives of those who turn to them for care.&nbs [...]

Seasoned Nurse Still Learning Today

Storm  Treanor, RN, makes her way through  the CVPH Emergency Department (ED) seemingly un-phased by the beeping and buzzing of technology and constant whirlwind of activity.   As a registered nurse with more than 50 years of experience, she currently works rotating shifts (per diem or as needed) in the ED and is in her element. “Currently, my full-time job is EMS Coordinator for Clinton County.  I coordinate education, certifications, supplies and logistics for [...]

Carlos Santos, RN Honored with CVPH’s 1st DAISY Award

National DAISY Award Program honors extraordinary nurses

Carlos Santos, RN of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was honored with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses ® on Thursday, May 10.  Santos was the first licensed nurse at CVPH to receive the honor which is part of a nation-wide initiative to recognize and reward licensed nurses for making a meaningful difference in the lives of their patients. CVPH launched the DAISY Award for Extraordin [...]

Donating a Kidney Was An Easy Decision for Peggy Bolster

Behavioral Health Nurse Helps A Stranger In Need

Ask most people to describe a hero, and it’s likely a cape and mask may be part of the discussion - not comfortable corduroys and a long sleeved cotton shirt.  But that’s what Peggy Bolster, RN wears most days when she comes to work as a Clinical Operations Supervisor on the Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit.   Bolster rejects the idea that she’s hero despite having donated a kidney to a complete stranger a little over a year ago. To Peggy it seems [...]

Dori's patient couldn't speak English: No problema

Bilingual nurse helps new mom

Imagine being in an unfamiliar country, unable to speak or understand the language. Now add to that being at your most vulnerable, facing a life-changing  event like the birth of your first child?  Doris Hanson, RN of the Alice T. Miner Women & Children’s Center (CWC) met a young woman facing those challenges and vowed she wouldn’t do it along. Hanson is an experienced and bilingual nurse who was working the night the expectant mom was admitted to the CWC with signs [...]

Seizing Every Opportunity to Make a Dfference

Kim Bracey, RN, helps a family stuggling to keep a loved one safe

Fortunately for one local family, Kim Bracey, RN of the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit is a life-long learner – on and off duty.  In addition to many years of service to CVPH, Kim has been a dedicated member of the Morrisonville Ambulance Service.  To be the best for her patients, at the bedside and in the field, Kim stays current with new practices, programs and services. It’s at one such EMS educational event that Kim met Sgt. William Dominy of the Clinton C [...]

Creating A Partnership To Preserve Family Memories

Building Bridges

Grief is love’s unwillingness to let go. In her 7 years as an Intensive Care nurse, Nicole LaTray, RN has witnessed many expressions of grief but a recent request from one patient’s family member truly surprised her. “Her granddaughter wanted a tattoo of her fingerprint. My patient was on comfort care and it was somewhat of a surprise to the family. She had been ill for some time but this was sudden. They asked me if I could help them obtain her fingerprint because her grand [...]

A Small Package Makes A Lasting Impression

Melissa Rock-McCasland never forgets what it means to be a nurse

The packet of salt is never far from Melissa Rock-McCasland, RN, Clinical Informatics Analyst III.  She keeps it tucked in her portfolio, along with her phone and other work-related essentials, as a reminder of how important a simple act of kindness can be. The salt was given to her by a woman she helped in the hospital cafeteria early one morning. “She was ordering something from the omelet station; she looked kind of frail and so I offered to get her a tray (that would help her c [...]

Gail LeClair Treats Our Patients Like Family

Nursing professional offers comfort

 “I just thought: what if this was my father?,” explained Gail LeClair, Patient Care Operations Director as she recounts a day that began like many others but turned out to be quite special.  That thought was the first thing that came to mind as she walked into the Intensive Care Unit Waiting area to check on an elderly man who was transported to the hospital with his daughter who had a massive heart attack. The Patient Care Coordinator had asked Gail to check on the fat [...]

CVPH Veterans conduct Flag Retirement Ceremony

Event was prompted by Skilled Nursing Facility resident

It’s a little before 10 a.m. on June 14. Residents of the CVPH Skilled Nursing Facility are gathered around the flag pole on the front lawn of the hospital taking their rightful place in the front row to witness what will be CVPH’s first annual Flag Retirement Ceremony.  After all, it was their idea.  Retired Air Force Veteran Ken Thayer, RN, explains to the audience that the ceremony is taking place because a resident asked, “What does CVPH do for Flag Day?” [...]

Greg Freeman's Compassion Never Rests

Occupational Health & Wellness supervisor helps fellow traveler, bring peace of mind to her family

There is no “on” or “off” switch for health care professionals.  Kindness and compassion are not constrained by a timeclock.  So it’s no surprise Occupational Health and Wellness Supervisor Greg Freeman, RN, never gave a second thought to helping a couple in his downtime.   In a conversation with a casual acquaintance, Greg learned that the gentleman’s wife was going on vacation and there was reason for concern.  Serious illness and th [...]

Sherry Deyo-Pugh, RN Goes The Extra Mile

Emergency Department Nurse Keeps Patients' Needs On Top of Her Priority List

“It’s what anyone would have done,” said Sherry Deyo-Pugh, RN of the University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Emergency Department.   After working a full shift in the ED, she volunteered to drive the elderly wife of a patient to the University of Vermont Medical Center where he would receive life-saving heart surgery.  “They drove themselves to the ED. They had no family close by.  The patient was taken to o [...]

Jessica Bernard, RN, Inspires Another Chapter

Registered Nurse helps terminally ill patient and learns important life lesson

One smile can start a friendship, one person can change your life, and time is precious.  Jessica Bernard, RN carries that lesson with her every day because she has been witness to it. Currently working in The UVM Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Post Anesthesia Care Unit, and previously in Interventional Radiology (IR), she met the man who would teach her this most important lesson. Using advanced technology and high quality imaging, Interventional Radiologist [...]