News Briefs: June 2014
RN Myrna Balbuena wins NJ contest
Myrna Balbuena, a NYSNA RN at Shore Medical Center in Somers Points, won the Press of Atlantic City’s “Salute to Nurses” contest last month. Called “a modern day Florence Nightingale,” and “the epitome of nursing,” by her co-worker, Dorothy Rudert, RN, who submitted the nomination, Balbuena has a reputation for going above and beyond for her patients and extending help to others outside the workplace.
Balbuena accepted the award with humility. “I just go there every day and do my work,” she told the Press. “I make sure I take care of my patients and respect their rights.” She also spoke highly of her fellow Shore RNs, saying, “All of us should be nominated because all of us work hard. We work as a group and as a team.”
NYSNA Families Walk for Women’s Health in Long Island
Wearing our “Safe Staffing Saves Lives” t-shirts, a team of NYSNA families took to the sunny Jones Beach boardwalk May 18, to participate in the 5th Annual Every Woman Matters Walk. The 3.1-mile walk was a fundraiser for women’s healthcare.
Retired Nurse Action Network
Join NYSNA retirees for a special luncheon and meeting of the Retired Nurse Action Network, Thursday, July 24, 12 to 3 pm. Want to join us? Email retiree@nysna.org
Congrats to Jacqui Gilbert and five RN colleagues
Jacqui Gilbert, President of NYSNA’s Congress of Bargaining Unit Leaders, member of NYSNA’s HHC bargaining team, and RN at Harlem Hospital, was honored at the 2014 Caribbean American Health Awards on June 25 for her extraordinary contributions as a nurse and union activist.
The award ceremony is hosted by Caribbean Life, the largest Caribbean American newspaper in New York City, with nearly half a million weekly readers.
Jacqui’s colleagues nominated her for the Caribbean Nurse Award because of her outstanding leadership and commitment to patients. She has been a role model to young nurses, helping them learn the skills they need to provide the very best care and demonstrating how to organize and advocate for their patients.
Other RNs honored were Janet Marva Bowen, Joan Rosalee Davis, Jennifer Henry, Dorian P. Samuels, and Avril P. Silcott.
Mount Sinai win
When Mount Sinai planned to eliminate two RN positions from its OB/GYN clinic serving almost exclusively low-income Medicaid patients, NYSNA filed a grievance. The elimination of the two positions would have increased patient wait time and decreased RN time with each patient. At the hearing over the grievance, Mount Sinai decided that it would agree to keep the two NYSNA members in the unit, a good outcome for our members and for prenatal care in East Harlem.