Nursing Spectrum, American Red Cross to Honor Nurse Heroes

December 3 event to feature heroic acts of 10 extraordinary RNs

WASHINGTON, Friday, December 03, 2004 — Nursing Spectrum and the American Red Cross join forces once again to celebrate the lifesaving acts of 10 nurse heroes at a Nurse Hero Recognition ceremony, to be held Friday, December 3, from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., at Red Cross headquarters in Washington, DC. Nurses regularly perform lifesaving acts as part of their daily routine – this event honors their profession while highlighting 10 amazing individuals who risked their personal safety for the wellbeing of others.

This event is held bi-annually. Shawn Yancy, WTTG Fox 5 News anchor and 2002 Nurse Hero ceremony host, returns once again to lead the tribute to some of the nation’s most brave and devoted caretakers.

“Our mission at Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek has always been to support and recognize the nursing profession,” said Patti Rager, RN, President and Publisher of Nursing Spectrum. “We are delighted to share with the world the heroic stories of these courageous and caring registered nurses.”

This year’s honorees performed lifesaving actions across the nation. Nominated by their colleagues, families, friends and those they rescued, the 2004 Nurse Heroes include nurses from: Dayton, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; River Vale, New Jersey; Angier, North Carolina; Battle Creek, Michigan; Lake in the Hills, Illinois; Abita Springs, Louisiana; Rochelle Park, New Jersey; Enfield, New Hampshire and Hickory, Mississippi.

“Every day throughout the country, nurses are devoting their lives to helping others. Even when their actions are above and beyond the call of duty, their exceptional humanitarianism, skills and knowledge may go unnoticed,” said Nancy McKelvey, RN, Chief Nurse for the Red Cross. “By saluting nurses who have saved lives under extraordinary circumstances, we hope to pay tribute to the entire nursing profession.”

About the American Red Cross
With more than 30,000 nurses who are involved in all areas of the organization, governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 900 field units dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1 million volunteers and 36,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 70,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and keeps U.S. military families connected worldwide. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide. Marsha J. Evans is the President and CEO of the American Red Cross.

About Nursing Spectrum
Nursing Spectrum is an RN-led communications company and a division of Gannett Company, Inc. The company promotes the education, recognition and support of the nursing community by providing timely, relevant, and compelling information through its award winning magazines now including NurseWeek, annual career guides, websites (nursingspectrum.com, nurseweek.com), Nursing Spectrum Continuing Education services, and Career Fairs, reaching more than a million RNs and nursing students.

Mary Evans, LPN, Hickory, Mississippi Evans ran into the smoke and fire-filled house of her pregnant niece, in an attempt to save her four grand nieces and nephews, ages 2-7, who were trapped in a back bedroom. Crawling through a broken window into intense heat and black smoke, she managed to find and pull to safety three of the young children.
Deborah Johnson, RN, Abita Springs, Louisiana Tulane University Hospital and Clinic Caught in a Mardi Gras crowd into which a group of teenagers fired gunshots, Johnson was knocked to the ground and injured from the ensuing panic. Four people in the crowd were hit by gunfire, so Johnson got down on hands and knees and administered first aid and comfort to each shooting victim. Three of the four lived, thanks in large part to her efforts.
Debra G. Watkins, RN, Dayton, Ohio Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Risking her life to save two strangers involved in a horrific accident between two burning pick-up trucks, Watkins coordinated evacuation of the less-injured accident victims. Then, along with a med student, she pulled a husband and wife to safety, performing CPR on the woman until a Care Flight arrived.
Staff Sergeant Charles Peworski, RN, Phoenix, Arizona Mayo Clinic Hospital In April 2003 Staff Sergeant Peworski and 12 other Marines were injured in a sandstorm-induced multi-vehicle accident in Iraq. He immediate triaged and found three seriously injured victims, treating them for shock and multiple head, neck and limb injuries. And he did it all one-handed, due to his own broken arm. He later received a Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Heroic Achievement.
Evelyn Personeus, RN, River Vale, New Jersey Bergen Regional Medical Center Jolted from a sound sleep, Personeus ran to a car that had just crashed into her front-yard tree. Epitomizing why nurses are always “on” even when they’re “off,” Personeus went into response mode as she remained at the victim’s side to keep his airways open until the fire from the crash was out and he was freed.
Laurie Fox, RN, Enfield, New Hampshire Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center Fox ran to the aid of a young motorcyclist whom she had witnessed being thrown onto the pavement, left unconscious and not breathing, following a high-impact collision with an SUV. She removed him from the road, stabilized his neck and began CPR, staying with him until help arrived. To all concerned, she saved his life.
Mary Pennington, RN, Angier, North Carolina Wake Medical Center Pennington literally breathed life back into her own daughter, after an elderly driver who had run a stop sign crashed into the passenger side of her car, with her 13-year-old son in the front seat and 11-year-old daughter Caitlin in the back. Despite her own injuries, Pennington managed to resuscitate Caitlin, whose lungs had collapsed, filling her mouth with blood. She remained unconscious for seven days.
Theresa Miklusicak, RN, Battle Creek, Michigan Miklusicak extricated four passengers, including two small children, from a smoking SUV that had just flipped over in front of her on the highway. Despite the urgings of onlookers to escape the potentially explosive vehicle, she persevered, until all four passengers were out of danger – including the driver, whose laceration she held with her hand until paramedics arrived.
Joanna Kenney, RN, Lake in the Hills, Illinois Provena Home Care, Village Green of Elgin Kenney saved the life of a sheet metal repairman on site at her work facility, who had been struck by lightning and caught fire. Rescuing him first in the pouring rain from a small, wood-framed balcony under construction, she and a colleague administered CPR for over 10 minutes until paramedics arrived.
Janet Hansraj, RN, Rochelle Park, New Jersey Pascack Valley Hospital Instinctively stopping at the scene of an overturned vehicle that was leaking gas, Hansraj immediately came to the aid of the near-lifeless 18-year-old victim who was pinned in the vehicle. Directing others to extricate him while she held his head, she then stabilized the victim and kept him breathing until paramedics arrived.