Integrative Providers Association Celebrates Nurses Week With Honors
ACCESS Newswire
8 min read
WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / May 8, 2021 / Integrative Providers Association (IPA) wishes all nurses a Happy Nurses Week May 6 - 12, 2021, while honoring all nurses as the Year of the Nurse carries forward another year, and rightfully so. The Integrative Providers Association Honors Committee would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge an exceptional group of nurses that really stand out amongst the best of the best, and with that the IPA encourages everyone to go out and thank a nurse, today. Thank you nurses!
A thankless job, nurses are an essential component of a patient's care team. Building patients' confidence and strength while faking smiles, many nurses go unnoticed as they summons and apprise physicians, highlight concerns and identify barriers while building bridges to overcome all of them. The most trusted professionals in America for 19 years in a row, nurses are known for innovating, organizing and implementing creative solutions for healthcare and wellness.
It's an honor and a privilege to acknowledge each and every one of these extraordinary nurses while celebrating and extolling the IPA's appreciation for each of their commitments to patients.
Shannon Peterson, RN, MSN is a pediatric emergency nurse and charge nurse known for her skills, knowledge and compassion. Nurse Peterson has been a nurse for two decades and has been on the frontline of pediatric care for a number of years saving lives. Her colleagues feel as though they are empowered by her leadership while her patients simultaneously feel nurtured and empowered by her care. Thank you, Shannon!
Barbara Dixon Blaser, RN, is an innovator, educator and nurse advocate with experience in all aspects of nursing from regulatory oversight to bed-side nursing, education and consulting. A born leader, Nurse Blaser has been practicing since 1966 and is still in practice today educating, consulting and speaking on subjects she has specialized expertise on. Thank you, Barbara!
Keven Steurer, RN, is a clinical preceptor in the PICU at WVU Medicine Children's, and is an innovator born from necessity and expertise only someone in his position and experience can provide. Nurse Steurer is an essential part of pediatric healthcare, and saving lives. We honor his service and spirit. Thank you, Kevin!
Mary Lynn Mathre, RN, MSN, is an innovator, educator and patient rights advocate responsible for creating and leading Patients Out of Time, an annual conference bridging the gap between professional education and clinical practice. Those seeking specialized and advanced education on subjects like medical cannabis and palliative care attend informative sessions and meet with peers, educators and speakers in a peer-to-peer networking environment surrounded by other forward thinking professionals and clinical practitioners, a real pioneer. Thank you, Mary Lynn!
Osun Awoyinfa, RN, is an Organic Doula and Midwife responsible for educating, consulting and assisting in births and practices for the Ministry of Health in Barbados. Nurse Awoyinfa is cross trained in a variety of integrative disciplines and bridges the gaps between them all to empower her patients in achieving a more holistic experience and overall outcome. Thank you, Osun!
Leah Bisiani, RN, MSH, is an expert in memory-care, aging and dementia and is known for her advocacy and strong voice in upholding the rights of people living with dementia. Nurse Bisiani is a leader, an innovator and a fierce advocate for patients rights and deserves recognition for her commitment, service and standard of care. Thank you, Leah!
Ryan McNeal, RN, BSN is a registered nurse and award winning recipient of The Daisy Award for his work in the emergency department of Southern Hills Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas, NV. Nurse McNeal is admired by his colleagues and patients for his extraordinary level of service and standards of care and is an example of what one would want to encounter during their darkest of times. Thank you, Ryan!
Penny Daugherty, RN, MS, OCN, ONN-CG is a registered nurse and oncology nurse navigator at the Northside Hospital Cancer Institute in Atlanta, GA specializing in gynecologic oncology and multiple myeloma. Nurse Daugherty is an innovator and brave patient advocate leading the charge for a better tomorrow. Thank you, Penny!
Kristen Reed, RN, BSN is a registered nurse and certified reiki healer that integrates reiki into her bedside practice to relieve pain and anxiety and promote healing. Nurse Reed is currently practicing in the step-down unit of Neuroscience ICU at Boston's Brigham & Women's Hospital and is responsible for creating "Wellness Days" for hospital staff and nurses which include reiki, music therapy, guided meditation, yoga, aromatherapy and more. Thank you, Kristen!
Oluwatosin "Tosin" Olateju, RN, BSN is a registered nurse and public health program manager in Anne Arundel County, Maryland serving the underserved, undocumented and disadvantaged. Nurse Olateju works for the Department of Health and is the Community Health Nurse Program Manager. Nurse Olateju manages programs that provide a vital resource and access to care, support and most of all hope. Focused towards healing the underserved and undocumented communities, Nurse Olateju takes community service to the next level. Thank you, Tosin!
Susan Luck, RN, BS, MA, HN-BC, CCN, HWNC-BC is a registered nurse, health and wellness coach and clinical nutritionist with a special interest in medical anthropology and public health. An author, educator, disruptive innovator and pioneer, Nurse Luck is a pioneer on the leading edge of integrative medicine. Nurse Luck is a founding member of the American Holistic Nurses Association and regularly educates and encourages other nurses to provide patients integrative coaching. Setting the standard scope of practice for holistic nursing in America, Nurse Luck is a leading subject-matter expert uniquely experienced in integrative holistics, nutrition-based care and wellness. Setting the standards of professionalism and the standard scope of holistic care, Nurse Luck combines the best in practice to advance the standard scope of care for patients. Thank you, Susan!
Christine Zartler, RN, MSN, CPNP is a pediatric nurse practitioner, autism advocate and a shiny example of what every parent should strive to be for their child(ren). Specializing in pediatrics, Nurse Zartler has been divinely chosen, and systematically forced to become a fierce advocate for those with autism - and medical cannabis by default. Fighting with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services on behalf of her daughter, Kara, Nurse Zartler and her husband Mark have compounded hard work, advocacy and public outreach with love, compassion and sacrifice to change countless lives and countless outcomes for the betterment of humanity. In this, functionally improving both Kara's quality of life and her ability to cope with self-harming behaviors and anxiety naturally. Nurse Zartler and Mark have stood their ground to do what is right and best for Kara despite the most extreme resistance and consequences, consequently reducing the stigma associated with using cannabis to treat children with autism - in Texas of all places. Thankfully, the Zartler's courage has resulted in a wave of life-changing policy, support and momentum that continues to spread across the globe while Kara continues to provide the level of hope both parents and patients need. Thank you, Christy (Kara and Mark)!
None of these nurses are members of, or connected to, the Integrative Providers Association at this time, however, it is the IPA's honor to celebrate these nurses and all their accomplishments. While these don't even scratch the surface of the list of nurses who have earned and/or deserve recognition, the contributions, courage and care demonstrated by these nurses is still humbling.
If anyone would like to nominate a nurse, provider or other integrative professional for any future honors please submit your nominations to: https://integrativeprovidersassociation.org/honors with as much information about the provider as possible to verify their eligibility for the honors. We only honor credentialed, verified, validated and honorable providers who make a conscious effort to serve their community, subscribe to a strict code of professional conduct and ethically, responsibly and consciously make the world a better place in practice and in personal life.
While these and many others are truly nurses that are ahead of their time and some are surely in a league of their own, it is clear that by delivering an above the bar standard of care, one truly can make a positive impact in patients' lives. It is our hope that people will read this release and take a look around, one can always find a nurse worth celebrating. #HappyNursesWeek2021
About The Integrative Providers Association (IPA): The IPA is a national nonprofit 501(c) organization dedicated to advancing the societal benefits of Integrative Medicine in the established healthcare, legislative and socioeconomic systems that currently serve the greater population of public health globally. IPA members are empowered through discovery, education, and unification in bridging the gaps between the current state of dis-ease and symptom based healthcare by providing integrative solutions. IPA seeks to unify professionals and practitioners in mental health, (nutri)genomics, functional, natural and traditional medicine to further optimize wellness and empower patients to live a healthier lifestyle, as naturally as possible. By including nutrition with natural, complementary and alternative medicine, conventional healthcare takes on a whole new meaning when wellness becomes the desired outcome. Providers, patients and caregivers alike develop a better understanding of wellness, including the most essential dietary and behavioral pathways necessary to achieve optimal mental and physical wellness.
