L+M Healthcare Announces 2020 Nightingale Nurses

The 2020 Nightingale Nurse award recipients will be honored quietly and remotely this year as Connecticut continues to practice social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite the lack of external fanfare, L+M Healthcare is pleased to announce the dedicated and compassionate nurses who have been selected by their peers as Nightingale Nurses for 2020.

Each of the nurses representing L+M Healthcare, a member of Yale New Haven Health which includes Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, Westerly Hospital, the Visiting Nurse Association of Southeastern Connecticut, Northeast Medical Group (NEMG) and other ambulatory services, provides care in different areas of the community from hospital to home care to physician office.

“I am proud to honor these Nightingale Nurses for their commitment to excelling in their nursing practice,” said Caren Lewis, chief nursing officer, L+M Healthcare. “To be recognized by your colleagues as a nurse who provides compassionate, patient-centered care is one of the greatest compliments and they should be proud of this achievement.

“Even though the pandemic forces us to be social distant this, we still recognize the outstanding work of these Nightingale nurses and all our nursing heroes at this unique time.”

This year’s honorees are:

Patricia (Trish) Barber, BSN, RN – Geriatric Psychology Inpatient - Tricia offers suggestions for connections to care and for interventions to use with patients that are creative and effective. She also stays current on evidence based practice and offers her knowledge to the team to assure they are meeting the needs of patients and families.

Alexandra Brown, MSN, RN, NE-BC – Professional Development - Alex supports bedside leaders by working all shifts, and can frequently be seen reviewing key initiatives at all hours, but particularly on the night shift. Alex has captured the true essence of nursing knowledge and applies it in a meaningful way.

Taylor Dumas, RN, VNA - Whether caring for a child with the latest diabetic technology or a child that simply needs TLC, Taylor individualizes care to ensure each and every child experiences a successful outcome.

Mathew Landeck, BSN, RN, Case Management/Neurology Department - Matt is often perceived as “the man with the answers”. He is a natural leader who takes each patient’s care seriously, and gives his all to their safety and well-being. Matt works tirelessly to make sure that patients are getting the care they need to be discharged to home safely.

Darlene Marinelli, RN, VNA - Dolly’s upbeat personality, nurturing care and expert nursing knowledge has positively touched her patients, their families, and her co-workers. She always steps in to help mentor new nurses, provides honest feedback and demonstrates how nursing is more than what is in a patient’s plan of care. She is frequently requested by patients to be their case manager.

Veronica Napalitano, RN – Pequot Emergency Department - Veronica is a reliable charge nurse and a fabulous mentor as she always has the patients, staff, and the entire department’s well-being in mind. 

Veronica is very compassionate about her career, she has even mentored her own two daughters who want to become RN’s themselves and now work in the ICU and Emergency Department. 

Elizabeth (Zeke) Newbury, BSN, RN, CWON - Inpatient wound care - Zeke has continuously provided the best possible nursing care on an individual basis for patients. She is able to converse with patients to identify their current living situation and sets goals to ensure that everyone is onboard with their wound care treatment.

Jocelyn Oliver, RN – NEMG (Mystic and Groton Offices) - Jocelyn understands that quality care goes beyond the delivery of evidence-based medicine, and she takes great care in providing information to patients in ways they can really understand. Her patience and thoughtfulness to ensure that the quality of a patient's experience is meaningful, shows her commitment to providing true person-centered care

Kelsey Panosky, MSN, RN-BC, CNE, C-EFM – Maternity - Kelsey treats all of her patients as individuals with kindness, compassion and respect. She is tireless in her desire to provide excellent care and to make every families’ experience the best it can possibly be. Kelsey supports patients’ birth plans, goals and requests as evidence by their glowing reviews of her.

Jennifer Scotti, RN - Neurology - One of Jen’s greatest attributes is how she facilitates patient and family centered care on a daily basis. No matter what the barrier may be or how difficult the patient/family situation is, Jen continues to embrace these challenges and barriers by going above and beyond to deliver kind and compassionate care.

Rachael Silvia, BSN, RN-BC – Medical/Surgery - Rachael worked with a team to create new patient white communication boards in patient rooms to better meet their needs. She worked in collaboration with another department to create programs that will engage staff with one another, as a means of a way to get to know one another.

Ashly Thatcher, BSN, RN - Ashly starts off her day checking the assignment, making sure it is safe for everyone involved. She then takes on her own patient assignment, is charge nurse, delivers safe and efficient care, works in management, advocates for the patients and continues to be a pillar of support and leadership on the floor.

Cynthia Williamson, LPN – NEMG (Mystic Office) – Cindy consistently supports the wellbeing of our patients and brings extensive skills and compassion to her role. She is unfailingly humble and kind and has earned the respect of everyone. She embodies the qualities we all associate with nurses.

The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing program was developed in 2001 to celebrate and elevate the nursing profession. As a nursing organization with more than a century of service, the Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut took the lead in creating the award ceremony.

The Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing is open and inclusive to all health care settings—hospitals, home health care, health centers, schools, health departments, long-term care, nursing schools, medical practices—all are invited to participate. RNs and LPNs who demonstrate excellence may be considered for recognition if they are involved in clinical practice, leadership and/ or education.

About Lawrence + Memorial
Lawrence + Memorial is a private not-for-profit, general, acute care hospital that has been serving patients since 1912. L+M is licensed for 280 beds, employs more than 2,000 people and serves 10 shoreline towns between Rhode Island and the Connecticut River, as well as the residents of Fishers Island, NY, in its primary service area. Now part of Yale New Haven Health, L+M is the only hospital in eastern Connecticut with a newborn intensive care unit. It is also the only area hospital able to perform emergency and elective angioplasty.