Bolingbrook – Nearly 100 nurses
were recognized at Adventist
Bolingbrook Hospital’s
first annual “High-Performing Nurse” gala. The black tie-optional gala, held
Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Bolingbrook Golf Club, was designed to recognize those
nurses who go above and beyond the call of duty to provide excellent care to
patients on a daily basis.
“These nurses are committed to
quality, safety and teamwork,” said Kathy Mitchell, vice president/chief nursing
officer at Adventist
Bolingbrook Hospital.
“They also consistently strive to provide an unsurpassed patient experience and
to serve our physicians in any way they can. Our nurses are truly a credit to
the nursing profession.”
Three nurses were singled out for
exceeding expectations. Joan Vrba, RN, received the Nursing Legacy award. Vrba,
of Joliet,
works in the pain management department. She was hired in 1983, two years after
the opening of Adventist
Bolingbrook Medical
Center, the hospital’s
predecessor. Vrba worked with state officials to develop the rules and
regulations that led to the medical center being certified as the first
freestanding emergency center in Illinois.
The Nursing Legacy award is bestowed upon nurses with an extensive history with
Adventist Health System who demonstrate compassion and personal values that
inspire other nurses. The award is designed to honor nurses of passion and
conviction who have overcome significant personal adversity or whose body of
work will follow them throughout their career.
Jolene Albaugh, RN, received the
Nursing Leadership award. Albaugh, director of surgical services, oversees
nurses in the operating room and post-anesthesia care, same-day surgery,
endoscopy, and sterile processing units. A nurse for nearly 30 years, Albaugh,
of Clarendon Hills, came to Adventist
Bolingbrook Hospital
in May 2007 and spent eight months forming and training her team to prepare for
the hospital’s opening in January 2008. The Nursing Leadership award is
bestowed upon nurses who demonstrate extraordinary service in the execution of
balanced performance and embrace a philosophy of excellence in the areas of
staff development, clinical quality, patient satisfaction, physician relations
and stewardship of hospital resources.
Julie Grivetti, RN, received the
Nurse Quality award. Grivetti, a Marseilles
resident, is clinical coordinator of the hospital’s post-anesthesia care,
same-day surgery and ambulatory care units. She has been a nurse for 13 years. The
Quality award is bestowed upon nurses who demonstrate the delivery of
exceptional patient care as reflected through compliant quality documentation
and support for principles of continuous quality improvement to achieve
measurable improvement.
Adventist Bolingbrook Hospital CEO
Rick Mace said the purpose of the gala was to “honor the people who make the
hospital work.”
“You are the reason doctors bring
patients to us,” Mace told nurses at the gala. “Nurses are what make our
hospital strong.”