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Health & Fitness

CLARA MAASS MEDICAL CENTER CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS OF HUMANISM IN HEALTHCARE AWARDS

Barbara Corey, RN, Operating Room nurse and Constance Snelgrove, APN, RN, Perioperative  Services , have been awarded “Humanism in Healthcare” Awards by the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, after being nominated by their supervisors for demonstrating “kindness, compassion and concern” to their patients. The two women, both nurses at Clara Maass Medical Center, were recognized at a reception hosted by the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey and each given a $500 award.

“These nurses have shown outstanding care and commitment to their patients and go above and beyond the call of duty every day,” said Mary Ellen Clyne, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer at Clara Maass. “They demonstrate an excellence of standards we are proud to have at Clara Maass.”

Each year, the Healthcare Foundation recognizes two employees from participating medical facilities who are nominated by their supervisors.

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Susan Gallina, RN, CNOR, MAS, Director of Perioperative Services, wrote this about Corey, “She is known for the compassion and support that she provides every patient with whom she comes in contact. As a result, she is often mentioned with gratitude in patient surveys and letters and has been recognized by her fellow nurses and the physicians who work with her for her non-judgmental and positive attitude.”

Dr. Frank Mazzarella, Chief Medical Officer of CMMC, said this about Snelgrove, “Her kindness and patience do not go unnoticed by the patients whose lives she touches or by her colleagues. One patient wrote that the care Connie gave her, ‘was superior, loving and professional’ and noted that Connie went out of her way to answer any questions and to make the patient feel as comfortable as possible.”

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Both recipients said they were humbled and flattered by the honor.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” said Corey, of her career as a nurse. She said she is from a family of nurses, including her mother. She graduated from Clara Maass when it had a nursing school on campus and said she strives to make her patients feel as comfortable as possible before and after surgery, “I really just try to make them at ease.  I reassure them that everything is going to be fine and answer their questions. . . I tell them I will stay with them until they go to sleep and will be there when they wake up. They’re appreciative just to have someone there.”

Snelgrove, an Advanced Practice Nurse, said her goal is to add the personal and human touch for patients who are in the hospital, “I can take some quality time with the patient, listen to their concerns, needs and fears . . . I treat them as if they are my own family member.” She added that she makes sure to explain their post-operative treatment and discharge plan so it is easily understood by the lay person, “They say they’re happy that someone is able to understand how they feel.”

What made the award even more special, Snelgrove noted, is that she was able to share it with  Corey, with whom she worked when she was freshly out of nursing school. “It was such an honor,” Snelgrove said. “She was my mentor.”

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