Setting New Standards for Superior Patient Care
Our nurses never lose sight of our mission to ensure that all of our patients receive compassionate, diligent and proactive care, as reflected in the widespread recognition our nurses receive for their pursuit of excellence.
2014 Awards and Recognition
The Healing Arts Program at Montefiore: A collaboration that heals patients and nurses. Read more.
2012 Awards and Recognition
Montefiore Hospital—Wakefield Campus designated a Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) facility
NICHE is a nurse-driven program designed to help hospitals become centers of excellence in caring for older adults. The designation, a process overseen by the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing, is widely considered the gold standard in nursing care.
The NICHE program aims to improve patient outcomes and experiences, promote staff effectiveness and satisfaction, provide fiscally responsible care, and establish more hospitals as collaborative partners and community leaders in caring for older adults.
In this area, Montefiore nurses are ideally positioned to lead the way in improving outcomes. Accordingly, they receive a thorough education in a host of evidence-based best practices—including medication administration, nutrition, socialization, holistic practices and discharge options—all with a focus on helping hospitalized elders.
Bridget Kumbella, RN, MA, BSN, receives the 2012 Joan H. Bilder Award
This annual award—given to a candidate who consistently demonstrates excellence in professional nursing practice at Montefiore—is presented by the Honorable Lawrence Bilder in memory of his wife, Joan H. Bilder, Director of Nursing at Einstein Hospital from 1965 to 1987.
Highly respected for her professionalism, empathy and ability to quickly recognize subtle changes in patients’ conditions and help initiate the appropriate interventions, Ms. Kumbella is a model of nursing excellence and a leader by example.
A 21-year nursing veteran and a staff nurse in the Cardiac Care and Intensive Care Units at Montefiore’s Wakefield Campus for the past 15 years, Ms. Kumbella is a 2008 graduate of the College of New Rochelle. In 2010, she earned her master’s degree from Columbia University.
Lydia Velez, BSN, MSN, receives the Hospital Manager of the Year Award
As Administrative Nurse Manager at Montefiore Medical Center’s Einstein Campus, Ms. Velez has worked at Montefiore for 26 years, holding increasingly senior leadership roles in Oncology, Neurology, Medicine, Cardiac Step-down, the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and the Emergency Department. She is widely respected for her pioneering work in performance improvement to enhance patient satisfaction and for her long-standing commitment to developing the talents and capabilities of her staff.
Laura Holihan, RN, RN, BSN, CPEN
Ms. Holihan was named a finalist for the Nursing Excellence Awards for New York and New Jersey in the Staff Patient Management category. Ms. Holihan is Administrative Nurse Manager, Emergency Department, The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.
Lorraine Lamm, RN
Ms. Lamm won the Novice Nurse of the Year Award at the 1199SEIU League/Training and Employment Funds’ ninth annual Nurse of Distinction awards ceremony. Thomas Fitzsimons, RN, Operating Room, North Campus, and Bernadette Keelan, RN, NICU, North Campus, were nominees in the Nurse of Distinction and Nurse Preceptor of the Year categories, respectively.
Joan O'Hanlon Curry, RN, MS, CPNO, CPON
Ms. O'Hanlon Curry won the Dr. Patricia Greene Leadership Award from the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) at its 32nd annual conference. Recipients are selected by the APHON board of directors for demonstrating excellence in service to and leadership of APHON. Ms. O'Hanlon Curry was also named the 2007 Certified Pediatric Oncology Nurse of the Year by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation for significant contributions made to pediatric oncology nursing and oncology nursing service.
Marcia Ellis, RN, Receives Dr. Mary Ginness Professional Nursing Award
Ms. Ellis was honored for professionalism in the field of nursing and her efforts in New York state government, lobbying for nurses' rights regarding safe work environments and staffing. Ms. Ellis—the care management coordinator in the Utilization Department at the Moses Campus—earned her nursing degree at the College of New Rochelle and a master's degree in nursing education from Mercy College.
The American Nurse Project celebrates the unique experiences of more than 100 nurses at work across the United States, including 12 at Montefiore
Photographer, author and filmmaker Carolyn Jones recorded nurses’ personal stories through photos and interviews. This ambitious effort gives voice to some of the roughly three million women and men who play a vital role in America’s healthcare system.
The accompanying book, The American Nurse, includes photographic portraits of 75 of those nurses and excerpts from their interviews. Montefiore is proud to have been represented in this beautiful and poignant project by our extraordinary nursing staff.