Spontaneous Celebration

Sometimes, the simplest of gestures make the biggest difference for our patients. That was certainly the case when Emily Estus, RN helped cheer up a patient she was caring for in a special way. After Estus learned it was the patient's birthday, she went down to the gift shop during her break time to buy a balloon and a Mickey Mouse stuffed animal to give as gifts. Then, she and much of the team on the floor went into the patient's room to sing "Happy Birthday" to her. &qu [...]

ICU Nurse Honored for Giving Patient’s Family a Voice in Darkest Hours

Aubrey Ford, RN Receives DAISY Award

Christine Porter worried about what each passing hour could bring as her mother battled a life-threatening illness in the ICU at University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). While she’ll never forget the fear she felt during her mother’s stay in the hospital, Porter also says she’ll always remember the difference Aubrey Ford, RN made for her and her family. “Aubrey took her time to not only educate us, but most importan [...]

Nurse Honored for Compassionate Care of Patient in his Final Hours

Ashleigh Leavine, RN Receives DAISY Award

When a patient is dying, that person’s comfort and final wishes are of the utmost importance. A local family witnessed one nurse’s dedication to that compassionate care, and that is why Ashleigh Leavine, RN was recognized today as the latest recipient of The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses at University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). Leavine was presented the award during a surprise ceremony with her colleagues. “My fat [...]

Breaking Through a Language Barrier

Elyssa Pennington, RN Receives DAISY Award

Imagine being homeless, not able to speak or understand English and in labor, preparing to give birth to your fourth child. That’s the stressful situation a woman found herself in while at The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Alice T. Miner Women and Children’s Center (WCC). Elyssa Pennington, RN did all she could to give the mother, new baby and their family what they needed to be able to safely leave the hospital. That [...]

Making Patients Feel Heard

Dale Gearhart, RN Honored With DAISY Award

Joelyn LaValley is no stranger to surgery. And she knows all too well the unpleasant symptoms she struggles with after every procedure, including vomiting. But thanks to her nurse, Dale Gearhart, LaValley experienced a first: symptom-free time in the recovery room. That's why Gearhart is The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) newest recipient of the DAISY Award. Gearhart was nominated by LaValley. Normally, she cares for patien [...]

Dogs, Hockey and Compassionate Care

CVPH Presents First DAISY Team Award

“Watching your mother pass away for nine days is an intense, life-changing event.” It’s a heartbreaking time that Kelly Osterhaudt and Kelsey Trombley will never forget, as their mother spent her final days at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). Something else they’ll also always remember: the tremendous care a team of nurses provided all of them. That is why Ashleigh Leavine, BSN, RN, Jennifer Laporte, RN, Elizabeth Tr [...]

A Drive to say Goodbye

ICU Nurse Helps Plattsburgh man see daughter one last time

Offering a ride to help out a family member, friend or even a neighbor is something most of us have done at one point in our lives. An ICU nurse at The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) took that an extraordinary step further by picking up a dying patient’s father to say goodbye. Connor Bond, BSN, RN was working as a charge nurse in the ICU recently when the patient arrived after going into cardiac arrest. Her mother was there, but [...]

Helping Patients Feel at Home

Elizabeth Trudeau, RN Honored With DAISY Award

Spending extended time in the hospital is tough on many patients. In the case of Caitlyn Perham, she just wanted to be home with her dogs. Enter Elizabeth Trudeau, BSN, RN, who Perham says made the hospital feel like a second home. That is why Trudeau is the newest recipient of the DAISY Award at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). Perham nominated Trudeau after spending more than a week at CVPH receiving care. “Elizabeth helped me [...]

CVPH Nurse's Passion Benefits Diabetes Patients

Catherine “Franke” LaPier, BSN, RN, CDCES, is on a mission to make a difference with our patients who have diabetes. LaPier recently took on a new role as Certified Diabetes Educator at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), with a focus on inpatients. Her work includes meeting with those admitted to the hospital who have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, or who may have prediabetes. “I try to take a realistic approach,” she e [...]

Comforting a Grieving Family

Lee-Ann LaBombard Awarded CVPH’s First DAISY Leader Award

In the final hours of a loved one’s life, many family members want to be as close by as possible to share their love and say goodbye. The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) Patient Advocate Manager Lee-Ann Labombard’s touching compassion ensured a local family’s needs were met in one of its darkest hours, and that is why she is the hospital’s first recipient of the DAISY Leader Award. LaBombard was nominated by Ashley Pray, [...]

Supporting Our Graduate Nurses: Getting Oriented Together

New nurses fresh out of school face more challenges than ever before. The Designated Orientation Unit (DOU) launched this past summer on R3 is ensuring recent graduates get their bearings, as they receive the tools, support and confidence needed for a successful beginning to their careers here.   "It was such a positive learning experience for me, to actually feel like they cared about me as a new nurse." - Willa McKinley, RN / Graduate Nurse When Willa McKinley, a Pr [...]

Caring for a Colleague in an Emergency

Cancer Center Nurse Practitioner Honored With DAISY Award

Nearly the moment Cheryl Brunet, RN started working her shift at the University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) FitzPatrick Cancer Center (FCC), she knew something was wrong. Brunet started having chest pains and was fearing the worst: that she was having a heart attack. That’s when Rachel Hite, FNP-BC, OCN, a Nurse Practitioner in the FCC, jumped into action. And the care she provided her colleague is why Hite has been named the hospital&rsquo [...]

Family Medicine Center Nurse Celebrated for Dedication to Patients

Morgan Bennet, LPN Honored With DAISY Award

Those who work with Morgan Bennet, LPN see first-hand every day just how dedicated she is to her patients and co-workers. That commitment was honored as Morgan became The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) 18th DAISY Award recipient. “Morgan has incredible compassion for others, is a stand-out team player and goes above and beyond every day for both her patients and her team members at work,” offered Aubrey Wheeler, MD, a physi [...]

ICU Nurse's Care Inspires Donation to Foundation of CVPH

A Plattsburgh couple touched by a dedicated nurse’s care has donated to The Foundation of CVPH in her honor. The patient was rushed to The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) needing emergent care, including dialysis. Julia Tansor, RN was among those providing care for the patient during a stay in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Fortunately, the couple happened to live close by to Tansor and she volunteered to help them out wh [...]

CVPH Hosts Norwegian Nurse Practitioner Student

Aiste Venclovaite Hopes to Transform Nursing Profession in Norway

The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) is impacting the nursing profession on a global scale following a unique visit by an international student. “In my country, the Primary Care Providers have so many patients, there’s actually a crisis happening there now,” Aiste Venclovaite, a nurse from Norway, said. “After learning what I did at CVPH, I want to lift the Nurse Practitioner position up and say we can do a lot of what do [...]

Nurse Recognized for Supporting Breast Cancer Survivors

Jeanine Lynch, RN Honored With DAISY Award

A nurse’s push to educate and raise awareness is making a dramatic difference in the lives of breast cancer survivors in the North Country. That is why Jeanine Lynch, BSN, RN, OCN, CBCN has been honored as The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physician’s Hospital’s (CVPH) 17th DAISY Award recipient. A Breast Care Navigator (BCN) at CVPH since 2017, Lynch works tirelessly with patients to help them through their fight against cancer. She assists with sche [...]

ED Nurse Celebrated for a Half-Century of Caring

Storm Treanor, RN is known to be as dependable as the next sunrise, with a passion for learning and teaching that burns just as bright. She is also as committed to the nursing profession as they come, and that is particularly evident with the incredible accomplishment Treanor has reached: 50 years of service at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). In all that time, she has learned to be prepared for anything, except when it’s a surprise c [...]

Nurse Practitioner Study Improves Vital Access to Care for Stroke Patients

Readmission Rates Dramatically Improved

Stroke patients in the North Country are avoiding return trips to the hospital in part due to the work of a Nurse Practitioner at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). Senior Nurse Practitioner in Stroke/Neurology Sarah Baskind, who earned her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from George Washington University in the spring of 2022, knew that readmission rates at CVPH for patients suffering a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) were on the ris [...]

Foundation Grant Helps Ease Needle Nerves for Patients

Jon Verseput, an IV Therapist and Registered Nurse, helps place IVs in thousands of patients every year. One of the significant points of frustration he encounters with them is when it takes several attempts to insert the needle in the right spot. “I can see it in their faces. When I get called into a patient’s room, and the patient has already been stuck six or seven times, and they look at you like you’re going in for a root canal at a dentist.” Knowing the [...]

A Calming Influence for a New Mother

Paige LaDuke, BSN, RN Honored With DAISY Award

A nurse’s calm, cool and collected demeanor helped deliver a highly positive birthing experience for a North Country mother. And that is why Paige LaDuke, BSN, RN, C-EFM is being celebrated as The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) 16th DAISY Award recipient. Making connections is a big part of what CVPH nurses do to help patients through some of the most worrisome moments of their lives. While giving birth is an exciting time for an [...]

Patient Calls Two CVPH Nurses His Guardian Angels

Care Inspired Donation to Foundation of CVPH

A former patient at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) was so touched by the care he received from two nurses that he donated to The Foundation of CVPH in their honor.  “I can say they were like two guardian angels, as far as I’m concerned,” Rodney Nephew said, reflecting on the care that Mallory Mattison, MSN, RN and Kristy Gough, RN provided him during his two month stay on R6. “They’re very, very personabl [...]

Cardiac Rehab Nurse Puts her Heart in Health Care

Shirley Doolen, RN has been with CVPH for more than three decades, including the last 20 years in Cardiac Rehabilitation. She works with patients who have had a cardiac event, ranging from a heart attack to bypass surgery and valve repair or replacement. Each patient typically spends about 12 weeks with Shirley and her team, learning about exercise, diet modifications and medications. “The job here isn’t to make people physically fit,” Shirley explained. “The job here [...]

Grateful Patient Praises Nurse for Care During Labor

More than three years of waiting, worrying and wondering had finally come to this. Abby Bennett, now the Director of Nursing Research and Clinical Practice at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), was lying in a bed in the hospital’s Alice T. Miner Women and Children’s Center (WCC) preparing to give birth to her first child. “It was just kind of surreal,” Abby said. She and her husband Ryan, a Licensed Funeral Director [...]

What is Your Why?

A conversation with Travis Larche, BSN, RN

Just before entering the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), there is a bulletin board posing a simple question: Why did you first become a nurse? Many of the answers are inspiring, from some pointing to their family members for sparking their interest to others who answered the call after witnessing the care nurses provided. Over the past year, several nurses have spoken in-depth about what their why is, including Travis Larche, BSN, RN, a member of the Non-Invasive Cardiology team. Q: [...]

Emergency Department Pulls Together to Care for the Community

As a nurse in the Emergency Department (ED), you never know what is going to come in the door from shift to shift. Assistant Nurse Manager Michael Wells, BSN, RN talked about how proud he is for the way the team has responded on a daily basis to the influx of patients in the ED. Q: What has it been like seeing so many patients coming to the ED for care? Michael: It’s definitely been challenging over the last probably six or so months. I know there’s been a lot going on try [...]

An Epic Transformation

From the Bedside and Beyond, Nurses Made a Difference Helping Bring a New Electronic Health Record to Life

History was made in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 2. Our hospital joined Alice Hyde Medical Center and Elizabethtown Community Hospital in going live with Epic, marking the third and final phase to connect The University of Vermont Health Network’s affiliates and ambulatory practices to a single Electronic Health Record system. It is a transition that is having a meaningful impact on our people and our patients, providing a seamless experience at the bedside that is leading [...]

Making a Difference: The LPN Connection

When it comes to your care, clinical skills are just part of the equation at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH). Our nurses, which include Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Registered Nurses (RN), and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), also hope to make a difference through the connections they strive for with every patient and in every setting throughout the organization. “A lot of those patie [...]

Cath Lab Nurse Recognized for Heartfelt Care

Monica Buskey, BSN, RN Makes a Difference With Her Patients

A CVPH Cath Lab nurse has been honored for a second time with a Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) award for the difference she makes every day with her patients. From a young age, Monica Buskey, BSN, RN, CV-BC, CSRN, TNS felt a sense of compassion for others and knew she wanted to help people. Those feelings were solidified while growing up in Churubusco, as she saw the tremendous care provided by nursing staff at the assisted living facility her grandparents stayed at. “I [...]

When Caring Goes Beyond Clinical Excellence

Christy Trim, RN Honored with DAISY Award

There were very different reasons for Megan Trudeau’s three separate trips to the Emergency Department (ED) at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH) between last October and this past March. For Megan, the constant through those experiences was the extraordinary, compassionate care provided by Christy Trim, RN. The impact Christy had is why she is the hospital’s 15th recipient of the DAISY Award. Megan has known Christy for several ye [...]

ED Nurse Inspires Gratitude from Patient's Family

Trudy Durant, RN, PCCN Honored With DAISY Award

Grace under pressure and an overwhelming patience in the incredibly busy Emergency Department (ED) at CVPH are just part of what makes Trudy Durant, RN, PCCN stand out to her patients and colleagues. Those two qualities are also among the reasons Trudy has been presented with the hospital’s 14th DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Trudy, who has worked at CVPH for three decades and spent the last 14 years in the ED, was nominated for the honor by a patient’s family member. In a [...]

Meeting the Gold Standard: The Impact of CVPH's New Nurse Residency

Achievement Recognizes Excellence in Supporting New Nurses

When Emily Estus, RN came to CVPH in November 2020, the winter holiday wave of COVID-19 cases in our region- and across the country -was ramping up. She admitted she was nervous about starting her nursing career in the middle of a pandemic. Now, Emily credits her time in the CVPH New Nurse Residency with turning her concern into confidence. “It was just a great experience. It’s definitely something that made the transition to my new career less stressful,” Emily noted. An [...]

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 [...]