Area Nurses to be Honored at 24th Annual Nightingale Awards

CINCINNATI—The University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Nursing will honor hundreds of area nurses, giving special recognition to seven, at the 24th annual Florence Nightingale Awards for Excellence in Nursing on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at the Hyatt Regency Cincinnati. 

The seven awardees—selected by the UC College of Nursing Board of Advisors—will each receive $1,000 and a commemorative award.  

This year's event is sponsored by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The 2016 Nightingale Award winners are:

Victoria Base-Smith, Cincinnati VA Medical Center

Victoria Base-Smith is not only the chief nurse anesthetist at Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA), she is also a veteran herself, serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. She has served in Iraq, Afghanistan and on training exercises in Central America. Over 23 years, she has taught hundreds of nurse anesthesia students who consistently describe the rotation at the VA as a broad learning experience with opportunities to hone advanced skills and work with veterans. Also a PhD, Base-Smith is an accomplished researcher, clinician, lecturer and traveler. She has visited 45 countries, learning about cultures and how volunteers can improve health conditions for individuals and communities.

Amy Donnellan, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Amy Donnellan currently holds a dual role at the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), splitting time between direct patient care as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) and as the CICU nurse specialist. Donnellan is strongly committed to advancing the role and scope of practice of APRNs throughout not only CCHMC but also by way of advocacy at the legislative level. She has recently been published in several journals and has given podium presentations and poster presentations at several national conferences this year. 

Donna Gorman, TriHealth Bethesda Butler Hospital

An example of Donna Gorman's passion for her Butler County community came recently in the tragic death of a Hamilton City fire fighter in the line of duty. Gorman spearheaded a coordinated effort with her colleagues to raise nearly $1,000 to cater lunch for the Cincinnati Fire Fighters who covered shifts while the Hamilton Fire Fighters attended the funeral. Gorman's leadership is described as holistic, as she works on quality control, patient safety and staff satisfaction, interdisciplinary relationships as well as supporting the development of the Bethesda Butler Emergency Department which opened early 2013. As the hospital's professional practice liaison to the Emergency Nursing Association (ENA), she keeps the unit abreast of ENA initiatives, programs and news and this year accepted a board position on the Greater Cincinnati ENA.

Leo Gripshover, St. Elizabeth Healthcare

A staff nurse in the Telemetry Control Unit at St. Elizabeth, Leo Gripshover is praised for his ability to make his patients relax and trust him when they are in his care. He connects with male patients through his love of nature, hunting and fishing, while his sense of humor and the way he relates to people make him a favorite of all patients. His popularity is such that return patients request that he be their nurse, and he is also admired and respected by his co-workers. After his wife Stacy delivered a stillborn son named Leo Blue in 2012, the couple, with the support of others, started "Raising BLUE," an organization that supports bereaved parents in the aftermath of stillbirth. The organization helps pay for funeral expenses and headstones, forms support groups and works on prevention of these tragedies. 

Madonna Vinicombe, St. Elizabeth Health Care

The number of women whose lives have been touched by Madonna Vinicombe is astounding. Over the past 15 years, she has been the manager of the Mobile Mammography Program for St. Elizabeth Hospital in Edgewood. The mammography vans cover a 50 mile radius and provide care in some of the lowest socio-economic areas of the community, performing mammograms for more than 6,000 women each year. Vinicombe is frequently in the vans, greeting patients and interacting with them, often encouraging them to get additional health care screenings. She is involved in many health fairs, providing breast health education in the community. She also has been instrumental in writing several grants throughout the years to provide the necessary financial support needed in the community.

Christine Wolfer, Turpin High School

In her nearly 10 years as the Forest Hills school district nurse, Christine Wolfer has led the implementation of many improvements in the care provided to all students in the district. These include the development and implementation of individual health plans for students, helping parents manage health conditions and yearly education of all staff who have students with chronic health conditions. Sometimes her office at Turpin High School is a mini ER, while other days it serves as more of a counselor's office as the racially and financially diverse student population turns to her not only for their physical health issues but also for issues and concerns that teenagers face every day. Wolfer also helped develop district-wide food guidelines, and organizes and maintains screening records and organizes blood drives.

Marcia Wonderly, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center    

Praised for her blend of clinical expertise, professionalism and dedication to always doing what is right for the patient and family, Marcia Wonderly is the diabetes technology lead at Cincinnati's Children's Hospital Medical Center. She is known for her calm approach and sense of humor as well as her commitment to innovation within diabetes technology. Her peers describe her as a fantastic teacher who continuously looks out for educational opportunities not only for herself but for her coworkers too. Her vast diabetes knowledge and skills make her an excellent resource as evidenced by her program planning and development of educational material. Outside of the hospital, she works to coordinate, plan and staff such events as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund Type One Nation Summit, World Diabetes Day events, School Nurse Program and Mini School Nurse/Pump programs.