National Nurses Week 2015

 
As we wrap up our celebration of National Nurses’ Week, we send out special kudos to the following nurses whose combined service to our Adult Services Division totals more than 40 years!

 

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Meet Maureen Durkin, RN
Director of Nursing
May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Educational Services
Randolph, Mass.

Maureen Durkin has been with May Institute since July 2010, when she was hired as the Director of Nursing for the May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Randolph. Recently, she took on the additional role as Director of Nursing for our Educational Services division as well.
 
A kind and compassionate professional who genuinely cares for our students and staff, Maureen has an amazing ability to organize systems and people to ensure that each student receives excellent clinical care. She has truly developed and strengthened the children’s nursing services through her talents and initiatives.
 
She is committed to the May and to training new graduates and nursing students in order to build a new cohort of qualified school nurses. She is willing to help out wherever she is needed, and often works with other departments to advance the Nursing Department in Randolph.
 
Maureen is someone you can count on. She works hard, leads by example, and always supports and encourages her colleagues.
 
“Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.”* That’s Maureen, and we salute her during Nurses’ Week 2015.
 
(*Quote from Val Saintsbury)
 

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Meet Maureen Louzan RN!
Primary Nurse
May Center School for Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Randolph, Mass.
 
Maureen Louzan is an amazing nurse who came to the May Center School for Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Randolph in 2011. She started working at the lower campus, and later moved to the upper campus, where she took over as the primary nurse.
 
She is a dedicated and highly respected nurse who has gentle hands and a very big heart. Compassionate and understanding, Maureen has the ability to listen and express words of comfort while delivering exceptional care.
 
In addition to her clinical skills, she has the outstanding ability to teach students, families and staff. The staff love working with her, and families adore her. Maureen is never too busy to lend a hand and always puts others’ needs ahead of her own. She is detailed and professional and always willing to go that extra mile.
 
Maureen is very protective of students’ and families’ confidentiality, dignity, and rights. She is nonjudgmental and culturally sensitive.
 
“A nurse goes above and beyond the call of duty. The nurse is the first to work and the last to leave. The heart and soul of caring. A unique soul who will pass through your life for a minute and impact it for an eternity. An empowered individual who will put you and yours above theirs.”*
 
These words define Maureen Louzan, RN. We salute her during Nurses’ Week 2015.
 
(*Quote from Clara Barton)
 
 

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Meet Eleanor Hurley, RN!
Director of Nursing Services
May Center School for Brain Injury and Related Disorders
Brockton, Mass.

Eleanor became part of May Institute’s nursing team in Brockton in 2008. She first worked as a licensed practical nurse (LPN), and then went on to become a registered nurse (RN). In 2011, she became the Director of Nursing Services for the May Center School for Brain Injury and Related Disorders.

Every day, students ask for Eleanor when they come into the office. She listens to what they say, and always offers a kind word. Eleanor talks to her students as she provides care, explaining what she is doing and why. She always makes them a part of their care and teaches them about their medical treatment. Eleanor is able to put her students at ease when they are sick or hurt. They trust and respect her, and truly like her. Eleanor attends events at the school, and is always on hand to cheer her students on and praise their accomplishments.

Her co-workers describe Eleanor as a consummate professional who has great medical knowledge and nursing skills. Extremely hard-working and dedicated, Eleanor is always on the go and working diligently to keep the nursing office running smoothly. She is a kind and caring person, a person to look up to, a person who makes a difference.

“Nurses are the heart of healthcare and make a difference every day in the lives they touch.”* That describes Eleanor Hurley, and we salute her during Nurses’ Week 2015!

(*Quote from Donna Wilk Carillo)

 

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Meet Lynn Demers, RN
Adult Services
Health Services Director
West Springfield, Mass.

Lynn Demers joined May Institute’s West Springfield nursing team in 1999. Through the years, she has demonstrated a remarkable dedication to the wellbeing of the individuals we serve. She is very involved in their lives, and regularly attends meetings outside of working hours to ensure that accurate information is being provided. Oftentimes, she joins in on special events such as birthday celebrations.
 
Lynn is also dedicated to assisting and training staff members. She is always eager to help and offer ideas about how to improve our nursing department, its policies and programs.
 
She has been involved in many new initiatives such as creating a tool for output monitoring, an effort that has made an impact on reducing the number of complications caused by bowel obstructions. In addition, she has assisted with testing the first iterations of the medication acuity scale for the organization. Lynn has also been an active participant in our subcommittee for medication occurrence reporting.
 
Whether meeting the needs of the individuals we serve, or working collaboratively with her colleagues, Lynn consistently goes “above and beyond,” doing her very best on a daily basis. “Bound by paperwork, short on hands, sleep, and energy…nurses are rarely short on caring.”* That describes Lynn, and we salute her during Nurses’ Week 2015.
 
(*Quote from Sharon Hudacek)
 

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Meet Kathleen Erkkila, LPN!
May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Woburn, Mass.

Kathy joined the May Institute nursing team in 2005 as a medication nurse at the May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Randolph. After that, she worked in our Arlington location before becoming head nurse at our school in Woburn in 2009. 
 
Kathy is a dedicated staff member and a go-to-person in Woburn. She goes above and beyond on a daily basis. A valued member of the nursing council, she works hard to ensure that she meets all criteria of her job, and continuously strives toward best practices.
 
Kathy will help her colleagues in anyway she can. In addition to developing practices, protocols and manuals, she assists with fundraising, finds members for the Human Rights Committee, puts together flyers, and plans events for students and staff.
 
Here’s what staff members in Woburn have to say about Kathy:
 
Thank you for your flexibility and for truly being a “Jill of all Trades” around here.
 
You are much more than just the nurse.
 
You always jump into any and all situations, and we cannot thank you enough.
 
We know you always have 1000 things going on, and we appreciate your dedication every day.
 
Kathy is a nurse who “works for a cause, not the applause; lives life to express, not to impress; and believes that being a nurse is more than just a job, it is a way of life.”* We salute her during Nurses Week 2015.

(*Quote from Mother Teresa)

 

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Meet Donna Polk!
Healthcare Coordinator
Adult Services, Florida

Donna Polk has been a great asset to May Institute’s Florida Division during her first year on the job, accomplishing an impressive number of program goals. Since she joined the Florida program as the healthcare coordinator in June 2013, she has been an advocate for better medical care for the individuals we serve.

Over the past year, Donna has developed a strong rapport with local agencies such as the Agency for Persons with Disability (APD), an organization that has recognized her for her efforts to improve medication management in the Florida program.

Donna took a leadership role in the process of finding the psychiatrist who now sees and treats the individuals in our program. This has resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of behavioral incidents that occur.

She also took the initiative in finding a pharmacy that understands our programs and individuals. This has helped decrease a number of pharmacy-related errors. She helped implement the new medication safety monitoring system that has improved the accuracy of medication management.

And, thanks to Donna, the Florida Adult Services program has been accredited by the American Safety and Health Institute.

Donna is also an enthusiastic advocate for staff, always available, and always providing vigorous training for those who provide care. She genuinely cares about each and every member of the staff as well as the individuals we serve.

“To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through is to be a nurse.”* That describes Donna Polk, and we salute her during Nurses’ Week 2015!

(*Quote by Rawsi Williams)
 

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Today's team of skilled, caring nurses (listed below) excels at caring for the individuals we serve, and we salute them during National Nurses Week! Over the next week, we will be highlighting just a few of these outstanding professionals.

Adult Services Programs:

Ludwine Paul, MSN, ACNP-BC, Director of Nursing
Lynn Demers, RN, BSN, Director of Healthcare Services
Jamy Whitcomb, RN, Director of Healthcare Services

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From the earliest days of May Institute (see photo here and below circa 1960 at our first school in Chatham), nurses have been tightly woven into the fabric of our schools and programs.