Local Nurses Honored at Heart of Gold Nursing Reception
By: Michael Demyan
Photo Credit: Tracey Benson Photography
Nurses around Palm Beach County were honored May 10 at the fifth annual Heart of Gold Nursing Reception, hosted by Palm Healthcare Foundation.
Palm Healthcare Foundation is dedicated to making advances in the field of nursing by donating millions of dollars to nursing initiatives over the past 16 years. During that time, the foundation has also awarded over $2 million in scholarships to nursing students in Palm Beach County.
The event is held every year to recognize the hard work of all of the local nurses, while also awarding the county’s Nurses of the Year. This year, 17 nurses were given the award, including Boca Raton residents Constance Upshaw and Inez Nascimento. Other notables included Dr. Karen Wisdom-Chambers of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at FAU and Julie Smith of West Boca Medical Center.
All of the Nurses of the Year recipients were given a gift card for brunch for two at The Breakers Palm Beach.
“At some point in our lives, we will all need the care of a nurse. Palm Healthcare Foundation is delighted to shine a light on the exceptional stories of some of the most dedicated nurses in Palm Beach County,” said Pat McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Healthcare Foundation.
CBS 12 meteorologist Michael Ehrenberg was on hand at the event as the master of ceremonies, while McNamara, Good Samaritan Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Cheryl Wild and VITAS Healthcare Volunteer Manager Gayle Stevens were also able to speak to the 300 guests in attendance as well.
The reception was held at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach in the Cohen Pavilion, where guests were able to enjoy taking photos at a nurse-inspired photo booth along with cocktails and food.
It was the final events of Palm Healthcare Foundation’s Thank a Nurse campaign, which was sponsored by Tenet Health and VITAS Healthcare. It was held at the same time as National Nurses Week, which ran from May 6-12, and included a Nurses Night Out, which was a free event that was held at Downtown at the Gardens on May 3. The festivities included food, games, giveaways, raffles and live music for all who attended.
Below is a list of all 17 recipients of this year’s Nurses of the Year awards.
- Barb Bzura, of Atlantis, Ascension Catholic Church, Catholic Charities
- Katie Clark, of West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Atlantic University
- Peter Gonzales, of West Palm Beach, JFK Medical Center
- Karen Gulledge, of Jupiter, Academy for Nursing and Health Occupations
- Toni Harris, of Lantana, Palms West Hospital
- Patti Joyce, of Wellington, Children’s Medical Services
- Mark Lefco, of North Palm Beach, St. Mary’s Medical Center
- Marge McManus, of Palm Beach Gardens, Good Samaritan Medical Center
- Cheryl Morkan, of Port St. Lucie, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center
- Inez Nascimento, of Boca Raton, Delray Medical Center
- Jessica Patino, of Greenacres, VITAS Healthcare
- Norma Reyes, of West Palm Beach, VA Medical Center
- Nuvia Rodriguez Machado, of West Palm Beach, CL Brumback Primary Care Clinic
- Julie Smith, of Boynton Beach, West Boca Medical Center
- Constance Upshaw, of Boca Raton, Department of Health – Palm Beach County
- Dr. Karen Wisdom-Chambers, of Lake Worth, Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at FAU
- Latoya Wright, of West Palm Beach, Trustbridge
