Kenmore Mercy Hospital
Kronicle
News and announcements for Nursing Staff at Kenmore Mercy Hospital May/June 2018 As I round on the units and attend meetings, one topic that I see and hear is the stress that our associates are experiencing.
Nursing Associates Honored with Awards
As nurses we know that stress is a fact of life particularly in our profession where our main responsibility is caring for people. It is important for our physical and mental well-being that we take time for ourselves to manage the stress that we may be experiencing. The American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) provides an abundant amount of evidenced based information on what causes stress and helpful tools on how we can manage stress. A few of the tools they discuss include: the “Stop Technique” which is useful in stopping negative reactions when you feel stress building up. “Diaphragmatic Breathing” is another method in how to relax taking deep and slow breaths from the abdomen. Other techniques the AHNA website provides is information on nurturing your spirit, journaling, mindfulness, visualization, eating natural food and many others. The web site you can obtain this information is ahna.org and I added stress reduction in the search. An interesting fact is that the WNY chapter of the Holistic Nurses Association meets at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in the Community Room on a regular basis. The next meeting is June 26 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. If you are interested in this organization please consider attending a meeting The chapter’s web site is http://ahanwny. nursingnetwork.com. Enjoy your summer everyone! My best, ~ Cheryl
Anne Hedges-Creighton, Esther Sprehe, Lynn DeGrasse, Mary Hojnacki, Lisa Gonzales, and Carole Woomer.
Kenmore Mercy Hospital capped off National Nurses Week by recognizing some of its best nursing staff during a special ceremony held on May 9. This year’s Nurse of Distinction is Esther M. Sprehe, BSN, MSN, ANP-BC, RN, CNOR, CRNFA. Known for her smile and gentle voice, her peers refer to her as an exemplary nurse practitioner who works with both compassion and diligence to ensure her patients receive the optimal care and outcomes. This year’s Outstanding Staff Nurse is Lynn DeGrasse, BSN, RN. Lynn has been with Kenmore Mercy for 22 years and currently works on our 2 East and 2 South Patient Care Units where she cares for individuals post surgery. Day in and day out, the compassion and kindness provided to her patients is immeasurable. This year’s Outstanding Nurse Attendant is Lisa Gonzales. As a nurse attendant in our 2 East and 2 South Patient Care Units, she is always on game, planning ahead for patients being admitted post surgery. Lisa is known for her smiling face and cheerful demeanor, doing the extra little things for them that really matter. Thank you to all of this year’s award winners for their care and compassion and for demonstrating our mission and values.