Commissioner Lacy Honors Nurses at the Governor's Nursing Merit Awards

New Jersey Nurse, Jul/Aug 2004

It was the nursing staff that got Clifton Lacy through residency. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner's heartfelt words of appreciation to the nurses who were there years ago as he began his medical career came as he honored the nine recipients of the 16th annual Governor's Nursing Merit Awards for 2004. Dr. Lacy and Institute for Nursing President Linda Parry Carney presented the awards at the celebratory dinner held at the Westin Princeton hotel in Princeton on June 2nd.

This year the following recipients were honored.

Advanced Practice Nurse

Rosemarie Hertting, RN, MSN, APN, C, CHPN

Monmouth Medical Center

Licensed Practical Nurse-Acute Care

Zora Railey, LPN

Monmouth Medical Center

Licensed Practical Nurse-Assisted Living

June A. Hetzel, LPN

Blythe House of Tinton Falls

Licensed Practical Nurse-Community Health

Valerie Fryar, LPN

St. Peter's University Hospital

Licensed Practical Nurse-Long Term Care

Caron St. John, LPN

Southern Ocean County Hospital

Nurse Administrator

Richard Hader, PhD, RN, MSN, CHE, CNA, CPHQ

Jersey Shore University Medical Center

Nurse Educator

Lucille Ann Joel, RN, EdD, FAAN

College of Nursing

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Registered Professional Nurse-Acute Care

Susan J. Sauchelli, RN, BSN, CNOR

Morristown Memorial Hospital

Registered Professional Nurse-Community Health

Doris A. Jordan, RN

Visiting Nurses Association of Central New Jersey

Applications in December

Each December in coordination with the Institute for Nursing, the DOHSS mails the applications to nursing administrators throughout the state. The application is also made available for downloading on the web at http://www.NJSNA.org. Nominations are made by nursing administrators or by the nurse herself/himself (one of this year's winners nominated herself). In February over a hundred applications are submitted. Working with the Institute for Nursing, the GNMA Committee reviews the applications with specific criteria and weight for each category.

History of the Governor's Nursing Merit Award

In 1987, Governor Thomas Kean created a Nursing Shortage Study Commission through Executive Order No. 179 to study the nursing shortage. In June 1988, the Commission issued its final report and one of its recommendations was to establish a Nursing Merit Award Program. Subsequently, that same year, Commissioner Molly Coye established the Nursing Advisory Committee (NAC). From the deliberations of this committee, The Nursing Merit Award Program was created and adopted in 1989 as an ongoing NAC activity. Its purpose was to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional nurses.

In December 2000 Christine Grant, signed Executive Order No. 185 reconstituting the Nursing Advisory Committee as the Nursing Merit Award Advisory Committee (NMAAC) to advise the Commissioner regarding promoting excellence through the Governor's Nursing Merit Awards. These awards provide annual public recognition of outstanding nurses.