New Hampshire Nursing News - June 2022

Quarterly publication direct mailed to approximately 1,250 Registered Nurses and LPNs and delivered electronically via email to 16,500 Registered Nurses and LPNs in New Hampshire. 

New Hampshire 

Nursing News 

Official Newsletter of New Hampshire Nurses Association 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 

www.NHNurses.org 

June 2022 | Vol. 46 No. 3 

Happy Nurses Day/Week to all 

of you! 

Spring has sprung at the New 

Hampshire Nurses Association. 

There is so much activity 

happening with very busy past 

few months. 

First, the Commissions have 

been very active. 

For example, the Commission 

Holly McCormack 

on Government Affairs 

has been watching several bills related to the Covid-19 

pandemic, vaccination, and workplace violence. (see 

related article Legislative Update) 

The NHNA Commission on Government Affairs Members 

and the corresponding Legislative Advocacy Committee 

(LAC) leaders were instrumental in mobilizing NHNA 

membership and colleagues and partners throughout New 

Hampshire. Through their diligent efforts, progress is being 

made to provide a safer working environment for health 

care workers. The Commission held a Legislative Forum 

in January for the entire NHNA membership. The highest 

rank priority following the 2022 Legislative Town Hall was 

establishing a health care facility and workplace violence 

prevention program. After several years of advocating for 

similar legislation, SB459 passed 220-87 on 5/5/2022. 

Members called, texted, wrote, and testified regarding 

this vital piece of legislation. We would also like to extend 

a special thanks to our executive director Dr. Pamela 

Dinapoli, who chaired CGA for the prior six years and 

Marcy Doyle, this year’s chair who worked diligently on this 

legislation to benefit all New Hampshire Nurses. 

The Commission on Nursing Practice held the Early Career 

and Graduating Student Nurse Conference on April 14, 

2022, at Plymouth State University. The event, Your Future 

in Nursing, was a great success. (see related article and 

photos) 

Lori Shibinette, Commissioner of the NH Department of 

Health and Human Services, provided the keynote address. 

She shared inspirational words as well as relayed her 

journey to becoming a nurse. She also encouraged the new 

graduates to identify what matters to them in their future 

employment. 

Students were given a chance to speak to recent graduates 

about their experiences in the first year of practice. They 

were also able to talk to various vendors about other 

current resident or 

Presort Standard 

US Postage 

PAID 

Permit #14 

Princeton, MN 

55371 

educational 

experiences and job 

opportunities and hear some great 

presentations from other members of the NHNA. 

The newly formed Commission on Climate Action and 

Health introduced themselves at the Early Career and 

Graduating Student Nurse Conference with a presentation 

on the role of the future nurse in climate action change. The 

program was very informative and well-received. Future 

plans include developing a CEU program to be presented 

at the Fall Annual Meeting. The group also participated 

in the NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action press 

conference (see photo) and is working toward a meeting 

with federal legislators to speak about climate change and 

health. The Commission Chair, Kaitlynn Liset, has been 

inducted into the 2022-2023 cohort of the Alliance of 

Nurses for Healthy Environments. This training teaches 

nurses how to work with communities as they tackle 

serious environmental health issues, emphasizing climate 

and health equity. 

NH Healthcare Workers for 

Climate Action Press Conferenc 

The Commission on Membership Engagement is currently 

seeking energetic new members to help them achieve 

their aim of collaboratively creating new opportunities for 

members to engage in an effort to increase the NHNA’s 

ability to impact the lives of New Hampshire nurses and 

the health of the citizens of New Hampshire. Contact 

Pam DiNapoli at nhna.ned@gmail.com if interested in this 

opportunity. 

The Policy Review committee has begun work on its 

biennial review of our general, employee and volunteer 

policy manuals. Carlene Ferrier and Carmen Petrin are 

leading this effort and welcome volunteers interested 

in organizational policy. Contact the office if interested 

office@nhnurses.org. 

Next, on Thursday, May 19, NHNA co-hosted the Excellence 

in Nursing Awards with New Hampshire Magazine. 

We received 72 nominations across 13 different 

categories representing the many facets of nursing. 

Please be sure to notify us with address 

changes/corrections. We have a very large list 

to keep updated. If the nurse listed no longer 

lives at this address – please notify us to 

discontinue delivery. Thank you! 

Index 

Please call 603-225-3783 or 

email to office@nhnurses.org with 

Nursing News in the subject line. 

President's Message ....................page 1 

Reflections from the ED ................page 3 

Legislative Update ...................pages 4-5 

Excellence in Nursing Awards ..........pages 6-7 

NHNPA 2020 & 2021 

Recipients Recognized ..............pages 8-9 

Early Career and Graduating Student 

Nurse Conference 2022 ..........pages 10-12 

Welcome New and Returning 

NHNA Members! .................. page 13 

Combating Compassion Fatigue .......... page 13 

New Nursing Simulation and 

Clinical Education Center ............ page 14 

It’s Time to Talk About Athletic 

Urinary Incontinence ............... page 15 

Improving Employee Engagement ....... page 16 

Joy in Work Framework ................ page 16 

Dropping the Stigma Surrounding 

Substance Use Disorder .............`page 18 

NHNA Student Nurse of the Year ..........page 19 

Giving Care: A Strategic Plan .........pages 20-21 

In Memory .......................pages 22-23 

It was a pleasure to honor these professionals for their 

commitment and dedication to nursing. Look for these nurses 

to be celebrated in our fall edition of NH Nursing News. 

Finally, a big thank you to all of our members. Your 

participation and engagement are essential to NHNA 

achieving our mission. If you are interested in learning more 

about the commissions or would like to join, please visit our 

website. 

Thank you for all that you do! 

Best, 

Holly McCormack DNP RN 

President, NHNA 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT 

In my column for this issue of NH Nursing News I reflected on the word GROWTH. Consistent with that 

word I wanted to let you know about some changes coming to NH Nursing News. We are going DIGITAL. 

This will be our last print copy of NH Nursing News. With the change to digital we will have more chances 

to send you regular NHNA News with monthly eblasts. The monthly updates will go out in the months 

between quarterly editions. With any change we may have some growing pains as we adjust to this new 

format but we are confident that this is the right direction for NHNA to take. 

– Pamela P. DiNapoli

community 

Mission-driven 

center jobs. No holiday 

health 

12-hour shifts or call. 

hours, 

or no weekend hours. 

Few 

Page 2 • New Hampshire Nursing News June, July, August 2022 

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NHNA. 

Vol. 46 No.3 

Official publication of the New Hampshire 

Nurses’ Association (NHNA), a constituent 

member of the American Nurses Association. 

Published quarterly every March, June, 

September and December. Library subscription 

rate is $30. ISSN 0029-6538 

Editorial Offices 

New Hampshire Nurses Association, 25 Hall St., 

Unit 1E, Concord, NH 03301. Ph (603) 225-3783, 

E-mail office@NHNurses.org 

Editor: Jessica Reeves, MSN, MPH, APRN 

NHNA Staff 

Pamela P. DiNapoli, PhD, RN, CNL, 

Nurse Executive Director 

NURSING NEWS is indexed in the Cumulative 

Nursing Index to Nursing and Allied Health 

Literature (CINAHL) and International Nursing 

Index. 

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reserve the right to reject any advertisement. 

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an advertiser’s product. Articles appearing in this 

publication express the opinions of the authors; 

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board, or membership of NHNA or those of the 

national or local associations. 

VISION STATEMENT 

Inspire New Hampshire nurses as leaders to expand 

the power of the nursing profession to improve the 

health of the people of New Hampshire. 

MISSION STATEMENT 

Promote nursing practice and the wellbeing of 

New Hampshire nurses by providing professional 

development, fostering nurse innovation and 

leading in health advocacy to enhance the health 

of the people in New Hampshire. 

Adopted 11-10-2021. 

CORE VALUES 

Caring • Integrity • Excellence 

Diversity/Inclusion/Belonging

June, July, August 2022 New Hampshire Nursing News • Page 3 

REFLECTIONS FROM THE ED 

The word I would like to reflect 

on for this issue of NH Nursing 

News is GROWTH. In this 

issue we celebrate the growth 

of the profession through our 

student nurse conference, 

our award winners and MS/ 

DNP graduating student 

capstone projects. But we also 

recognize in this issue that 

there are significant challenges 

and barriers to the growth of 

our workforce. By now we all 

Pamela P. DiNapoli 

recognize that there is a nursing 

shortage. Those of us that have been in the profession for 

several years have seen shortages come and go. When I 

was in school, we were debating entry into practice, and 

we were experiencing a nursing shortage. At the time one 

of our professors told us not to worry about shortages, that 

historically nursing was a “washing machine profession.” 

Meaning that nurses would work when they needed a new 

“washing machine,” in other words, the workforce was 

influenced by economic growth and economic downturns. 

Good economy, nursing shortage, bad economy, nursing 

saturation. That has always stuck with me. So conventional 

wisdom would suggest that because the economy is 

heading towards a recession, more nurses will enter the 

workforce and the nursing shortage will soon be over, right? 

Unfortunately, times have changed, while we still may be 

debating entry into practice, the Registered Nurse (RNs) 

shortage is now expected to intensify as Baby Boomers age 

and the need for health care grows. 

We can celebrate that our profession has seen considerable 

growth and respect since those “washing machine days,” 

giving nurses many and varied career opportunities. Nurses 

make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce. 

But the number of nurses entering the workforce has not 

kept pace with the need for registered nurses. Despite a 

growth in enrollment of 5.1% in entry-level baccalaureate 

programs this is not sufficient to meet the demand for 

nursing services. Nearly every healthcare encounter 

includes an RN to perform history and physicals, to 

interpret critical information, to make decisions about 

treatments and medication and to coordinate care across 

multiple health care disciplines. 

So, what are the factors impacting growth? The average 

age of nurses is now 50 years old which may signal a large 

wave of retirees not likely to reenter the workforce based 

on economic pressures. It is projected that more than 1 

million nurses will leave the workforce by 2030. And as 

the nursing workforce is aging so is the population. The US 

census predicts that by 2030 there may be over 82 million 

people over the age of 65 with increased needs to care for 

chronic illness and comorbidities attributed to aging. There 

are also generational attributes contributing to the current 

workforce. The current workforce is more mobile, 13% of 

newly licensed RNs had changed principal jobs after one 

year, and 37% reported that they felt ready to change jobs. 

The growth of travel nursing has contributed to a migrant 

workforce impacting the work environment. 

The result of the lack of growth in the workforce is 

ultimately increasing stress on nurses, lowering patient 

care quality and causing more nurses to leave the 

profession sooner than expected. The news is not all 

bad. The face of the workforce has become more diverse 

and there will be a need for continued diversity as the 

population continues to change. Covid 19 has brought 

more attention to the healthcare workforce and the release 

of the Nurse of the Future 2020-2030 report has highlighted 

the increased number of opportunities for nurses in the 

areas of community health, public health and certainly 

the focus on social determinants of health has put more 

emphasis on population health. 

For too long we have focused on economic reasons for 

the ebb and flow of the nursing workforce. To sustain 

growth in our workforce we need to focus on the root 

causes. We need to grow our faculty workforce to build 

capacity in our academic programs. Without a growth 

in programs like faculty loan repayment nurses are not 

incentivized to enter academics. Similarly, the current fee 

for services structure and low Medicaid and Medicare 

reimbursement rates limit the number of providers 

willing to serve as preceptors. We look to funding from 

the CARES Act to infuse new money into initiatives that 

will grow the workforce like loan repayment. We also 

need growth in media such as public service campaigns 

to encourage more people to enter the profession. With 

these public service campaigns come efforts to adopt 

improved staffing policies, higher wages, and other 

initiatives designed to improve working conditions. 

Finally, we need to embrace the word innovation and 

grow opportunities to rethink our practice. Nurses know 

nursing! We need to look for innovative ideas from 

nurses to solve problems faced at the bedside. Clara 

Barton said: “‘It irritates me to be told how things have 

always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go 

for anything new that might improve the past.’” Good 

ideas and the willingness to disrupt the status quo could 

be the answer to growing the workforce. We will not 

know if we do not try. Nurses need to be at the table 

bringing their innovative ideas and solutions to daily 

problems. 

One definition of GROWTH is to broaden as to broaden 

one’s horizons. In nursing practice, we need to “broaden 

our horizons with a change of scenery and culture” by 

embracing and diversifying the workforce in a changing 

work environment. Another definition of GROWTH is to 

widen as “to encompass more people, ideas and things.” 

We need to widen the pipeline to ensure an adequate 

workforce by increasing educational opportunities. 

GROWTH is expansion” as in expansion of the 

healthcare industry.” We need to expand and evolve to 

face the complex healthcare issues that are and will be 

facing us well into the future.


LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 

TABLE 1: Legislative Town Hall Forum Bill Rankings 

Bill TITLE STATUS 

HB1017/2013 

HB1633/2049 

HB1224/2361 

HB1233/2426 

HB1351/2631 

HB255 

HB 1210 

HB1604/2142 

SB 422/HB 103 

HB1332/2458 

HB1014/2054 

SB277/2939 

HB1659 

HB1030/2372 

HB1260/2141 

establishing criminal penalties for 

harming or threatening to harm an 

essential worker. 

relative to requiring COVID-19 

vaccination for school attendance. 

prohibiting state and local governments 

from adopting certain mandates in 

response to COVID-19; and prohibiting 

employers and places of public 

accommodation from discriminating on 

the basis of vaccination status. 

prohibiting higher education institutions 

receiving state funds from requiring face 

masks and COVID-19 vaccinations for 

attendance. 

prohibiting certain employers from 

requiring a COVID-19 vaccination as a 

condition of employment. 

relative to prohibiting vaccine mandates 

by New Hampshire employers. – 

RETAINED from 2020 

Relative to exemptions from vaccine 

mandates. 

including state medical facilities in the 

statute providing medical freedom in 

immunizations. 

AN ACT establishing an adult dental 

benefit under the state Medicaid 

program. 

excepting public universities and colleges 

from requirements under medical 

freedom in immunizations. 

allowing public meetings to be 

conducted virtually. 

relative to emergency or temporary 

health care licenses. 

relative to criminal history background 

checks for certain health care workers. 

relative to licensure by alternate 

experience for licensed nursing assistant. 

making immunization status a protected 

class. 

Replaced by SB 459FN 

(See Below) 

House Vote: ITL (21-0) * 

House Vote: Refer for Interim Study 

(19-0)** 

House vote: Lay on Table *** 

House Vote: ITL 

Amended to HB 1210 

House Vote: Lay on Table (213-142) 

House Committee OTP/A #0724h (11-10) 

**** 

OTP/A # 2022-0724h (181-155) 3/17/22 

Senate Committee Report: Referred to 

Interim Study (4-1) 

Senate Vote: Interim Study 

House Vote: 

OTP/A (Vote 176-174) 2/16/22, Referred 

to Finance 2/16/22; OTP/A 1160h 3/31/22 

Senate Vote: 

Committee Report: OTP/A #1566s 

4/21/22 (Vote 5-0); Finance Committee 

Report: OTP (6-0) 5/5/22 

House and Senate Concur: To the 

Governor to Sign 

Lay on table (172-142) 3/16/22 

Lay on Table 175-155 03/16/2022 

Ought to Pass with Amendment 

Motion Adopted Voice Vote 05/04/2022 

Motion Adopted, Voice Vote 

Motion Adopted, Voice Bote 

ITL 3/10/22 

HB1379/2527 

HB1358/2789 

SB222/2896 

HB1606/2150 

HB1035/2182 

HB1439/2492 

SB 459FN 

relative to the department of health and 

human services' rulemaking authority 

regarding immunization requirements. 

requiring public and private employers to 

establish procedures and exceptions for 

the use of mandatory intrusive testing as a 

condition of new or continued employment. 

permitting licensing boards to conduct 

remote meetings. 

making the state vaccine registry an optin 

program. 

relative to exemptions from school 

vaccine mandates. 

relative to hospital visitation policies. 

Relative to healthcare workplace violence 

prevention programs 

Refer to Interim Study 4/21/22 

ITL 3/10/22 

Language amended to HB 1210 

Motion Adopted Voice Vote 

Committee Report: OTP/A #1687s (4-1) 5/5/22 

As amended program is opt-in/opt-out 

a single time for all vaccines. NHNA 

Supports the amendment 

Committee Report: OTP 4/21/22 

(Vote 5-0) 

Amendment Adopted, Voice Vote; 

04/21/2022 

Motion Adopted: To the Governor for 

signing 

*ITL refers to inexpedient to legislate indicating there is no benefit to creating rules of 

law to implement this bill 

**Interim Study means that the bill is not currently in a form that both the house 

and senate agree on, while there may be merit to the content there is not currently 

consensus. It needs more study. 

***Lay on the Table: The bill is killed 

****OTP-A this indicates that the bill “ought” to pass. When there is an A attached it 

means that the bill has been amended. 

The 2022 legislative session was an active one with as many as 47 Covid 19 bills 

related to immunizations and masks. NHNA followed all of these bills partnering 

with the Healthy 603 Coalition. The Coalition was formed with a large group of 

stakeholders from healthcare, business, and education sectors among others. The table 

summarizes the house and senate actions up to date at press time. Use the hyperlinks 

to read the current status of each bill. The biggest win for NHNA was the passage 

by both House and Senate of HB 459 which creates a Workplace Safety Commission 

charged with collecting and trending healthcare workplace violence data. The 

definition in the final version of the bill includes: 

"Workplace violence" means any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, 

intimidation, or other threatening behavior. 

“Hostile words” means aggressive and belligerent verbal abuse in which the recipient 

reasonably believes that the speaker intends to injure or create excessive stress, or in 

which the recipient suffers actual psychological trauma. 

The Bill now will go to the Governor’s desk. Look for updates on our social media 

channels 

Instagram: nh.nurses | Twitter: Nhna_nurses | Facebook: @NHnurse 

Linked In: NEW HAMPSHIRE NURSES ASSOCIATION 

We’re Looking 

For The Best. 

Come Join Our Team! 

We have many opportunities available at Memorial 

Hospital in North Conway and the Merriman House. 

RN openings: 

Clinical Manager, Family Birthing Center 

Emergency Department • General Surgery 

Heart Health & Wellness • Med Surg 

Long Term Care – New Grads Welcome! 

LNAs: • Long Term Care 

Excellent work/life balance in an outdoor 

enthusiasts’ dream location! Memorial 

Hospital is critical-access hospital, with 

a friendly close-knit vibe, located in New 

Hampshire’s White Mountains region. 

Candidates can apply online at 

www.memorialhospitalnh.org 

An Equal Opportunity Employer 

100 Saint Anselm Drive 

Manchester, NH 03102 

(603) 641-7086 

www.anselm.edu/cne 

Committed to Promoting Excellence 

in the Practice of Nursing 

Saint Anselm College is approved as a provider of nursing 

continuing professional development by the Northeast 

Multistate Division, an accredited approver by the American 

Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation 

3 

3


LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 

The Honorable Barbara French, BSN, MEd 

Reprinting the remarks given on the House floor on May 5, 2022 by Rep. Linda Tanner 

in honor of The Honorable Barbara French (see In Memorium) 

Today we honor a former Democratic member of the 

House, the honorable Barbara Connor French of Henniker, 

who passed away at the end of last month at the age of 96 

just shy of her 97th birthday. 

With us today in the gallery are her daughter, Susan, 

son, Michael, and best friends, Eileen Kelly and the 

Honorable Beth Rodd. Standing with me are some 

fellow Representatives who served with Barbara and her 

Representatives from Henniker. 

I had the good fortune to work with Barbara in my 

freshman term when I helped with a continuing resolution 

in her committee, recognizing the Cadet Nurses of WWII 

and that resolution became my first floor speech. Barbara 

had grown up in that generation we affectionately call 

the greatest generation, who answered the call of their 

country and accepted responsibilities for the home front 

during WWII. She knew people who had joined the Cadet 

nurses. At a time when college was not always an option 

for women, Barbara was accepted to and graduated from 

UNH. She then went on to get a BSN degree in New 

York City from the Cornell University Hospital and started 

her career as a clinical nurse. She later followed up with a 

Masters in Education Degree. 

Nursing takes a special type of person: intelligent, strong, 

determined, persistent, caring. and compassionate. Barbara 

was all that and more. In NH her career continued as 

Head Nurse Instructor at the NH State Hospital, as a NH 

Child Welfare Social Worker, a Consultant for the NH 

Department of Education in Drug Education and as a 

school nurse in the Concord schools for 27 years. She 

served her community as a member of the Henniker 

planning board, as a member of Henniker Peace 

Community and was active in the local Democratic party. 

She attended weekly peace vigils up to a few weeks before 

her hospitalization. 

Barbara served for 20 years in this House as the State 

Representative from Henniker. Although she was vertically 

challenged, her voice was strong and big. She was a 

sponsor and co-sponsor of numerous bills - too many to list 

here- that were signed into law. These ranged from issues 

involving health care, the environment, and her passion, 

the well being of children and families as well as a bill for 

sampling beer or wine at farmers’ markets. 

She took great pride in her work in the creation of the 

NH Healthy Kids corporation, which provides healthcare 

to thousands of NH children, and the Child and family 

resource centers that support wellness and primary 

prevention services for children and families at the 

community level. 

Barabara received many awards recognizing her hard 

work, advocacy and service, including recognition awards 

from the National Association of School Nurses, the NH 

NEA Retired Educators Award, and the prestigious NH 

Democratic Party’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award. 

In her personal life she was concerned with fitness and 

health. She loved to swim in her lake, Massacecum, 

and she would persist in a daily swim until October as 

long as she was able. Bette Davis once said that "old 

age is not for sissies" and Barbara was not a sissy! She 

bravely met aging with grace, humor, daily physical 

activity and being involved in current events. Long 

after she retired from the House, several of us would 

get calls from Barbara who wanted more information 

or updates on bills she was following or to share her 

reaction and opinion on current political news. She 

kept involved with the NH School Nurses Association 

who created a legislative advocacy award in her name. 

When election time rolled around, Barbara was there to 

help, give advice and as an advocate for her Democratic 

candidates. 

She was a force to be reckoned with, highly respected by 

those who knew and worked with her, and a dedicated 

fighter for quality public education, wellness, accessible 

and affordable health care for all, protection of women’s 

reproductive rights, and protection for the environment. 

She worked to protect and provide for those in need, the 

vulnerable - the young and the elderly. We will miss her in 

this fight for a better world for all. 

For most people I would end a eulogy by saying “rest in 

peace." But that doesn’t seem right for Barbara. I think it 

should be "Godspeed Barbara," because I know she won’t 

rest, she will be directing and keeping all those angels on 

their toes and on task. 

May your memory be a blessing. 

Linda Tanner 

NH State Representative 

Sullivan District 9 

Education Committee

Page 

Excellence 

6 • New Hampshire Nursing News 

in 

June, July, August 2022 

Nursing Awards 

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse 

Sandra J. McDonald MSN, ACNP- 

BC, APRN, Lead Advanced Practice 

Provider, Neurocritical Care 

Dartmouth Health’s Dartmouth- 

Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon 

At Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical 

Center, Sandy McDonald is the lead 

advanced practice provider in the 

Neurocritical Care Unit. She leads 

a team of nine APPs in providing 

comprehensive care for these patients in collaboration 

with physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists. 

Sandy stresses the importance of empathy in her role, 

and never loses sight of the fact that each patient has 

a life outside the walls of the unit. To quote Sandy, she 

says that “In NCCU, the expected length of stay is longer 

than in other inpatient units. That affords us the unique 

opportunity to really get to know our patients and their 

families quite well. It’s a privilege and an honor to be 

allowed into patients’ lives during what can be one of the 

most difficult times they have experienced.” 

Ambulatory Care Nursing 

Laurie B. Kofstad BSN, MSN, RN, 

Nurse Transplant Coordinator 

Manchester VA Medical Center, 

Manchester 

When one of the veterans who has 

served our country needs an organ 

transplant, Laurie Kofstad is at their 

service. She oversees identifying, 

evaluating and coordinating their 

care at the Manchester VA Medical 

Center. Among her many skills, she excels at providing 

care and compassion without judgment, listening to her 

patients as they share their fears, making sure they feel 

heard, and so they know they are not alone. 

Laurie began her career in 1995 at Home Health and 

Hospice Care in Merrimack after graduating with an 

associate’s degree in nursing. Her colleagues in the 

profession, both past and present, have inspired her 

throughout her journey, especially her nurse mentors 

who encouraged her to continue her education and 

offered support as she completed her BSN and MSN. 

Today, she says, “Being the transplant coordinator has 

become my greatest achievement in my nursing career.” 

Excellence in Nursing Awards Photos 

courtesy of Kendal J. Bush Photography 

Cardiovascular Nursing 

Monica Matulonis RN, ICU 

Clinical Nurse Specialist 

Catholic Medical Center, 

Manchester 

Monica Matulonis’ years of 

experience enable her to remain 

unruffled in a crisis. She’s 

learned that as in ICU nurse, the 

most important trait is to remain 

calm during emergencies. 

For the past eight years, she’s been primarily caring 

for post-open heart surgery patients at Catholic 

Medical Center, and during the past three years, 

she’s been the specialist who gives training and 

practical experience to nurses new to their role in 

CMC’s nationally renowned unit. 

Although she’s an expert cardiac nurse, she had 

to take on a new role in 2020 during the height of 

the pandemic when she was tasked with being the 

charge nurse in the Covid intensive care unit. 

Not only is she composed, she is compassionate, 

telling us that, “What inspires me to be an excellent 

nurse is to utilize empathy with each and every 

patient. My goal is to treat every patient and family 

member like they are my family or close friend.” 

family’s worst day. 

Emergency Nursing 

Melissa Eastman Resource 

Person, CEN, BSN 

Concord Hospital, Concord 

Melissa Eastman has been a 

nurse for 27 years, serving 

for the past 15 of them in 

Concord Hospital’s emergency 

department, where on every 

shift she is in situations that put 

her in the middle of a patient or 

Although she says the last years were especially 

challenging, she stays motivated by knowing that 

she’s making a difference for patients and their loved 

ones. 

As the resource nurse, she must be adept at juggling 

multiple priorities at once, and she is responsible 

for patient flow, resource allocation, and clinical 

mentoring and support for ER nurses. She manages 

the day-to-day operations in the ER while on shift, 

triaging ambulance traffic to make sure that patients 

entering the department are getting the appropriate 

care by matching clinical experience to patient 

assignments and acuity. 

Front Line/Administrative Nursing Leader 

Anna Ivy M. Park BSN, RN, OCN, 

MED-SURG-BC, Unit Nurse 

Manager Oncology Inpatient Unit 

and Hematology Cellular Therapy 

Unit 


Hitchcock Medical Center, 

Lebanon 

Anna Ivy Park has been a nurse 

for 14 years, and has been in a 

leadership role for the past five. The pandemic made 

the last three of those especially demanding, because 

all patients in the unit where she is the nurse manager 

at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center are immune 

compromised. 

Anna’s was the only unit that did not accept Covidpositive 

patients, so the team had to be even more 

protective than usual. Still, though over-stressed and 

over-taxed, they answer every bell. 

Anna says it fuels her fire to be a mentor to her fellow 

nurses, telling us that she loves to, quote, “See the 

sparkle in their eye when they realize, ‘I’ve got this.’” 

Hospice-Palliative Care & 

Gerontological Nursing 

Jacob Fox RN, Nursing Supervisor 

Maplewood Nursing Home of 

Cheshire County, Westmoreland 

After 13 years spent in the 

manufacturing sector, Jacob 

heard the call and enrolled in 

the LNA program at River Valley 

Community College in 2007. 

His philosophy is to accentuate the 

positive. That sets the tone and creates the environment 

for patients and staff at the Maplewood Nursing Home of 

Cheshire County. Jacob, who has been with Maplewood 

since 2008, is a graduate of Vermont Tech’s practical 

nurse program and earned his associate’s degree in 

the science of nursing in 2018. He’s grateful to the 

Maplewood nurses who have guided and supported 

him through the years, who have helped him progress, 

teaching and mentoring him along the way, and have 

inspired him to, as he says, “be the best that I can be.” 

Maternal-Child Health Nursing 

April Henry MSN, RNC-OB, CNL, 

Director of the Family Center and 

Center of Reproductive Care and 

Maternal Fetal Medicine 

Exeter Hospital, Exeter 

Though she’s been a maternalchild 

nurse for a quarter-century, 

each birth remains magical for 

April Henry, who is the director 

of Exeter Hospital’s Family Center 

and the Center of Reproductive Care and Maternal Fetal 

Medicine. 

In her dual roles, she oversees labor and delivery, postpartum, 

pediatrics and the nursery. She has spent 20 

years at bedside and worked in underserved areas in 

Southern California, high-risk obstetrics in New Jersey 

and the community hospital in Exeter. 

April’s motivation is her patients and her team, 

emphasizing that she is fortunate to lead a wonderful 

team who consistently rise to the occasion, despite the 

substantial challenges of the last couple of years.


Medical Surgical Nursing 

Caitlin Kretschmar BSN, RN, 

PCCN 

Wentworth-Douglass 

Dover 

Hospital, 

In high school, Caitlin Kretschmar 

suffered a brain aneurysm and 

later a stroke. Crediting the nurses 

who cared for her at Boston’s 

Children’s Hospital, she decided 

she wanted to be a nurse just like 

the ones who saved her life. 

She started at Wentworth-Douglass after graduating 

from UNH’s nursing program in 2015, and now serves 

as a nurse/charge nurse on a telemetry/medical surgical 

unit but had to adjust to a critical change when it was 

transitioned into a Covid unit in March 2020. 

Despite the rigorous demands of the job and tireless 

hours required, Caitlin is like the nurses who inspired 

her to join their profession – she continues to provide 

excellent care, compassion and empathy for her patients. 

Ambulatory Clinical Nurse Educator 

Jennifer Miller MSN, RN-BC 

Elliot Medical Group, Manchester 

In the fourth grade, Jennifer Miller 

wrote a book report on Florence 

Nightingale, and from that point 

on, her heart was set on this 

profession. After graduating from 

the University of Virginia’s School 

of Nursing, she served four years 

as a U.S. Air Force nurse, and in 

the 25 years since, she’s lived in eight states and worked 

in a variety of settings that contributed to her knowledge 

and experience. 

As the nurse educator for the primary and specialty care 

clinics, she creates content and presents the orientation 

courses for medical assistants, LPNs, and RNs. For 

current staff, she encourages professional development 

opportunities and connects them with resources. Jennifer 

believes that one of the most important character traits 

for someone in her specialty is an attitude of humble 

inquiry. 

She says educating others is a privilege, one that she 

enjoys and takes seriously. Over the years, she says, 

she’s kept up with former students and peers, and that 

it’s been, quote, “Wonderful to see careers flourish and 

dreams come true.” 

Pediatric & School Nursing 

Jennifer Orbeso Charge Nurse, 

DNP, MAN, RN NICU, Nursing 

Diversity & Inclusion Specialist/ 

Clinical Nurse NICU 



Lebanon 

At Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical 

Center, Jennifer Orbeso fulfills 

dual roles as a clinical nurse in the 

neonatal intensive care unit and as the nursing diversity 

and inclusion specialist in the office of nursing support. 

As the diversity and inclusion specialist, she takes the 

lead in improving the recruitment, engagement and 

retention needs of nurses who come from culturally 

diverse backgrounds, and those who were trained 

internationally. In her role as a clinician, she takes care 

of premature neonates and other babies born with 

a medical condition requiring critical care, and that 

expands to taking care of the neonate’s family. 

She helps empower parents to take care of their 

babies, so they can be prepared to take good care of 

them when they go home, knowing that they have 

already undergone a stressful experience in their early 

parenthood journey. 

Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing 

Christina (Tina) Favero RN, Clinical 

Nurse Emergency Department 



Lebanon 

Tina Favero is a psychiatric RN 

working in the Dartmouth- 

Hitchcock Medical Center 

emergency department with 

high-acuity psychiatric patients. 

She provides crisis intervention and stabilization for 

those with suicidal ideation, anxiety, depression, 

substance use disorders and a myriad of other 

mental health diagnoses and conditions. 

She is proud of the ability to utilize humor and 

therapeutic listening when working with patients to 

help them see that health care providers recognize 

them as individuals and not as their diagnoses. This 

facilitates trust and empowers patients to actively 

participate in their own care through self-efficacy 

and accountability. 

Before joining the DHMC staff in 2017, she was a 

charge nurse on a 15-bed, LGBTQIA+ adult inpatient 

psychiatric unit as well as a clinical nurse leader on a 

10-bed inpatient psychiatric unit in Vermont. 

Public Health Nursing 

Darlene Morse MSN, RN, MEd, 

CIC, Public Health Nurse 

Program Manager 

NH Division of Public Health 

Services, Bureau of Infectious 

Disease Control, Concord 

Before retiring, Darlene Morse 

filled several roles. She managed 

and worked with seven nurses 

who investigate and make 

recommendations around reports of infectious 

disease. She was the State of New Hampshire 

tuberculosis (TB) nurse consultant, providing expert 

consultation to providers and nurses regarding TB 

case management. During the Covid-19 response, 

her role expanded to assisting in the investigation 

and contact tracing of cases. 

She says nurses in her field need to be extremely 

nimble, as it is distinct from any other type of 

nursing, especially in disease investigation. Any 

Opportunity Awaits 

REGISTERED NURSES 

Emergency Department 

IPCU 

Specialty Clinic 

Psychiatric Inpatient 

Adult Day Program 

To view all current job 

opportunities, and to apply 

please go to: 

https:// 

springfieldhospital.org/ 

careers/ 

Equal Opportunity Employer 

suspected outbreak, cluster of illness, unusual 

occurrence of communicable disease, or other 

incident that may pose a threat to the public’s health 

must be reported within 24 hours of recognition. 

To quote Darlene, “These nurses are the emergency 

responders of public health. The nurses may find 

themselves working on infectious disease reports 

that have come in, and then have an investigation 

blossom into a huge investigation that requires 

several nurses to participate. Public health nursing is 

so different from hospital or long-term care settings 

in that we deal with the report of the individual 

with an infectious disease and how they affect the 

group of people around them. That investigation may 

involve situations that may not end at the end of the 

workday,” she says. 

Senior Nursing Leader 

Amy Matthews DNP, RN, CENP, 

Chief Nursing Officer and Vice 

President of Patient Care 

Services 

Dartmouth Health’s Cheshire 

Medical Center, Keene 

Health care is a complex 

environment and those on the 

top management team face 

unique challenges at every 

turn. Empathetic leadership is crucial, says Chief 

Nursing Officer Amy Matthews. It’s empathy and 

compassion, she says, that help nurse leaders create 

an environment of value, respect and well-being. 

Through interdisciplinary collaboration at the 

executive level, she endeavors to make sure that 

Cheshire Medical Center advances the health and 

wellness of those in the Monadnock Region. 

Even after 35 years in the profession, she remains 

motivated by her desire to help other nurses follow 

her path into leadership roles, and she is continually 

inspired by her patients, who give her a deeper 

appreciation for the full human experience.


New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner Association 

2020 & 2021 Recipients Recognized 

The New Hampshire Nurse Practitioner Association 

dedicated to empowering NH NPs and championing 

their practice, recently recognized award recipients 

for both 2020 and 2021! Three distinct awards were 

presented. NHNPA appreciates the efforts of the 

awardees and those who took the time to provide 

nominations, which have been shared below. 

The NP of the Year for 2021 was recognized for 

their significant contribution to the role of the Nurse 

Practitioner at the state and/or national level, in the 

areas of clinical, legislative, education and/or research. 

This year’s NP of the year award went to Bridget 

Linehan. Bridget Linehan, PhD, APRN is described as 

“truly dedicated to the role of the Nurse Practitioner at 

both the state and national level, investing her time in 

clinical, educational, and research-based aspects of 

patient care.” She has been an APRN since 2006 and 

earned her PhD from the University of Massachusetts 

Amherst in 2011 with a commitment to excellence in 

NP practice. She is a clinical expert in pediatric primary 

care and specializes in spina bifida, urinary incontinence 

among athletes, bladder dysfunction and adverse 

childhood events, bowel and bladder dysfunction, and 

nurse practitioner precepting and education. She is 

devoted to providing excellent, patient-centered care 

while empowering others around her. Below are some 

of her many accomplishments: Bridget specializes 

in Pediatric Nephrology and Urology at Dartmouth- 

Hitchcock Medical Center, providing high-quality care to 

pediatric patients. She touches the lives of her patients 

through her caring, informative, and patient approach to 

care. Her dedication to optimal clinical care is evident 

in the way she works to inspire and empower other 

members of her team. Bridget Linehan also has a special 

interest in athletic urinary incontinence (AUI) and has 

previously published a study that she designed and 

performed at a local high school near the hospital. She 

continues her work in this field through AUI instrument 

development and validation. This is just one example 

of her commitment to the advancement of healthcare 

and overarching goal of improving patients' quality 

of life. Bridget Linehan also collaborates with another 

NP to organize and implement the iSURF Nursing 

program through the NH-INBRE Network providing 

undergraduate nursing students, the opportunity to 

explore nursing research. 

WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FULL TIME RNs and LPNs IN KEY ROLES: 

• Charge RN- Emergency Room 

• Emergency Room 

• Primary Care 

• Operating Room 

• Maternal/Child Health 

• OB/GYN Practice 

• Cardiology Office 

• Pediatrics Practice 

The Advocate of The Year Award is given to an 

individual who has made a significant contribution 

toward increasing awareness and recognition of NPs. 

Examples of past recipients have been physicians, 

legislators and educators. This year our advocate of 

the year award was presented to Debra Fournier, the 

Director of Quality and Nurse Practitioner Services 

at New Hampshire Hospital. Deb is an advocate for 

empowering nurse practitioners, modeling excellence 

in clinical practice, fostering respectful collaboration 

with varied disciplines, and promoting ongoing quality 

care. She supports APRNs working in the full scope of 

practice and encourages engagement in leadership 

opportunities. She has led the growth of an incredible 

and highly skilled NP Team at NHH, a team meeting 

the challenges of providing care to some of the most 

vulnerable and challenging psychiatric patients in the 

state. She has supported and commended the NP Team, 

while encouraging a healthy work-life balance for those 

providing care. She has championed the expansion of 

the psychiatric nurse practitioner preceptor program 

at NHH, a valuable asset in our state that will help 

to develop and enhance the knowledge and skills of a 

developing workforce of psychiatric nurse practitioners. 

Although she has a quiet and humble presence, 

Deb has led with advanced skills, insight, contextual 

understanding, and diplomacy. She empowers the 

NPs and those around her and allows for uncovering 

continued opportunities where Advanced Practice 

Nurses can shine. 

The Lifetime of Service Award is presented each year 

to an NP who, during their professional career has 

made significant contributions to the role, scope and 

development of NH Nurse Practitioners. This year, 

NHNPA recognized Marcy Ainslie for her dedication 

not only in patient care and advocacy but also her 

dedication to educating nurses in a Nurse Practitioner 

role. Marcy has worked for many years simultaneously 

in the clinical setting as well as the classroom with a 

clear dedication to healthcare and the role Nurse 

Practitioners fill. She has over 22 years of Nurse 

Practitioner experience, including in Emergency Room, 

Family Medicine, Gero- Psychiatric Behavioral Health, 

and Pain Management. She has been an integral part 

of the Graduate faculty at both Rivier University and 

now the University of NH. Marcy is known for her 

intellect, and ability to elicit the clinical transformation 

of a bedside nurse to decision making provider. She 

never ceases to amaze her students with her valuable 

knowledge and her patient who benefit from her 

clinical skill and mind. Marcy has dedicated her life to 

healthcare. 

The recipients of the Advocate of the Year and NP of 

the Year awards in 2020 were also nominated for the 

2021 American Association of Nurse Practitioner 

awards program. We are excited to announce that, 

in June, Kim Mohan will receive the AANP NH State 

Advocate of the Year award and Siobhan Benham will 

receive the AANP NH State NH of the Year award. 

You can learn more about these awardees and others 

who were recognized for their contribution in 2020 

below. 

Kim Mohan, the owner, of the Tandem Group LLC, 

was recognized as the NP Advocate of the Year. She 

initially started working with our organization as a per 

diem contractor assisting with moving our organization 

to the next level with regard to our annual conference


and marketing. She continued to learn and advocate for our organization and 

with her background and experience easily transitioned into our first full-time 

Executive Director role. She has served as the Executive Director for two years and 

has continued to ensure our mission, vision, and goals are clear with a direction 

forward. She has continued to elevate our organization by developing processes 

and relationships with key personnel from around the state and region, including 

the front lines of the statehouse with policy. She sits on all of our board committees 

to guide and support our work. She sits on various state-level committees to ensure 

the voice of nurse practitioners is at the table. She works closely with our lobbyist to 

ensure our goals and advocacy is at the highest level. She has been instrumental in 

the growth and steadiness throughout these very challenging years. 

Siobhan Benham, owner, and provider of Hearthside Family Health was recognized 

as NP of the Year. She is a humble, quiet advocate for nurse practitioner students 

and patients. Ms. Benham served as faculty at Rivier University for four years, 

serving as lead faculty for women’s health and pediatric curricular development. 

Current practice experience enhanced the quality of her teaching. After 12 years 

in clinical practice and increasing frustration with a healthcare system designed 

around insurance company requirements, she opened Hearthside Family Health 

in 2017 under the Direct Access Model. She provides individualized care with 

direct communication to and from her patients in an affordable, cost-transparent 

model. Families and patients with high insurance deductibles, lack of insurance, 

or seeking comprehensive, individualized primary care services are able to 

access full-service primary care. She continues to provide evidence-based care, 

with compassion and kindness, all while paying attention to the cost and delivery 

of every medical choice. She does not compromise care, but advocates for her 

patients by finding care that works for each patient all while staying an integral 

part of the local medical community. Siobhan is a team player, motivated by 

caring for others, and is a personal and professional role model for all who have 

the pleasure to work with or know her. 

Last year, Mary Sanford, APRN was recognized for the NHNPA Lifetime 

Achievement Award. Mary has been an outstanding role model and advocate for 

Nurse Practitioners since becoming the first NP to work in the ICU at Catholic 

Medical Center. She has been involved in forwarding the profession of Advanced 

Practice Nursing since serving on the NHNPA as the vice-president and president 

working with the efforts of the NHNPA to acquire full practice authority for NPs in 

NH. Mary is an outstanding clinician whose career has been marked by significant 

accomplishments. She created a role for Advanced Practice Nurses to oversee 

patient management in a busy medical/ surgical ICU. This was at a time when 

nurse practitioners were not a mainstay as inpatient hospital providers. She worked 

closely with the ICU intensivists and is responsible for a myriad of policies and 

procedures that guide the care of these medically complex patients. After building 

this unique role her focus shifted to advocacy for the nurse practitioners within 

Catholic Medical Center and forged the way for institutional changes that were then 

mirrored by area hospitals. She developed the Allied Health committee as a means 

to provide a voice for advanced practice providers in an institution where APP was 

a new phenomenon. She spent her time educating physician peers regarding the 

role and scope of practice of nurse practitioners outlining the valuable resources 

an APRN can bring to the inpatient arena. Through her efforts, the prevalence of 

APRN’s in the inpatient setting within all disciplines is an example of the confidence 

the institution has in the APRN model of care. Based on the development of the 

Allied Health Committee this has since evolved to an APP committee, an organized 

venue for APP advocacy within the institution now with a dedicated seat on the 

Medical Executive Committee and voting rights. Mary is well known as an expert 

clinician, admired by all who have had the opportunity to work with her. Mary 

went from being the first and only ICU NP to an ICU now managed by a team of 

Nurse Practitioners. She is the sole reason that nurse practitioners are sought 

after in the inpatient arena, she has demonstrated the value of NP expertise and 

has paved the way for all who came in her wake. She has presented at numerous 

national conferences on the care of ICU patients specifically post-op management 

of coronary artery bypass patients having done original research on the rewarming 

protocol of post-surgical patients. 

Debra Fournier, Advocate of the Year with 

Jillian Belmont, outgoing President of NHNPA. 

Marcy Ainslie, recipient of the LIfetime of Service award 

with Jillian Belmont, outgoing President of NHNPA. 

Bridget Linehan NP of the Year pictured with 

Jillian Belmont, outgoing President of NHNPA. 

Siobhan Benhamp ‘20 NP of the Year, Mary Sanford ‘20 

LIfetime of Service recipient, Kim Mohan ‘20 Advocate of the Year


Early Career and Graduating Student Nurse 

Conference 2022 – Your Future in Nursing 

We were delighted that this year the NHNA Student Nurse Conference was held as 

an in-person event on April 14, 2022, at Plymouth State University. In recognition 

that the past two years graduating students did not have the opportunity to attend an 

in-person event registration was opened to Early Career Students as well. We were 

delighted to have over 100 registrants from 6 schools, mostly from the North Country. 

We counted on the generous donations from sponsors to support the event. We were 

able to defray the costs for lunch and breaks thanks to our lunch sponsor Southern 

New Hampshire University and our break sponsors University of Southern Maine 

and Cheshire Hospital. (Names of the other Gold, Silver and Friends sponsors can be 

found elsewhere in this issue). The annual program is planned by the Commission on 

Nursing Practice. Thanks to the Commission members in Table 1 below. 

Table 1: Commission on Nursing Practice Members 

Carol Allen-Chair 

Teresa Knight 

Jamye Cutter 

Kerriann Reynolds 

Shelley Freidman-Davis 

Pamela Kallmerten 

Bonnie Aybar-Crumley 

This year’s program was based on the theme “Your Future in Nursing.” The idea 

emerged organically from conversations the commission members engaged in 

related to the challenges and realities of the nursing profession. Considering the 

National Institute of Medicine’s publication of the Nurse of the Future 2020-2030 

document the Commission wanted to focus on the themes identified including 

a focus on opportunities in public health and community health post pandemic, 

social determinants of health and climate action. This cohort of students has been 

presented with challenges and they have proven their resilience. The Commission 

wanted to focus on the many innovative opportunities students will encounter in 

their careers as professional nurses. We thank our agenda of speakers for a very 

engaging day. 

Holly McCormack, RN DNP the current president of NHNA began the program 

with her opening remarks congratulations to the attendees and acknowledged 

all they have endured during their education. She also referenced how grateful 

NHNA was to be able to have an in person event. As President and CEO of Cottage 

Hospital she recognized the unique needs of the north country and was delighted to 

be able to host an event at Plymouth. 

Dr. McCormack then introduced the director of the Plymouth State University 

Nursing Department, Donna Driscoll who introduced the PSU President Dr. Donald 

L. Birx, Ph.D who humorously referred to himself as Dr. Birx’s sister (the American 

physician and diplomat who served as the White House Coronavirus response 

coordinator). He recalled the healthcare service by several of his family members 

and thanked the students for choosing nursing and wished them well. 

Shelley Friedman 

with Caitlin Yazel 

Julie Cote 

Lori Shibinette – 

Keynote 

The keynote speaker was the Commissioner of the Department of Health and Human 

Services, Lori Shibinette. The Commissioner gave a very engaging presentation about her 

trajectory in nursing. Starting as a nurse at NH Hospital not realizing it was a psychiatric 

facility, she wanted to be a Maternity Nurse. She eventually fell in love with psychiatric 

nursing. When she found that she was looking for advancement opportunities she 

ended up leaving NH Hospital and the rest is history. The key point that she made to 

the audience was the importance of life work balance. Her message stressed that finding 

the perfect job did not necessarily mean finding the job that offered the most money but 

students were asked to consider all of the other factors that would influence their longevity 

in the profession. She asked them to consider continuing education opportunities, flexible 

benefits, advancement opportunities and other non-monetary considerations. 

In advance of a Workforce Roundtable that the Commissioner was hosting on April 

18, 2022 (see Giving Care: A Strategic Plan to Expand NH Workforce in this issue), 

she asked the audience for ideas. She asked: If you could present a package to the 

Governor that would expand the workforce what should it include? The major themes 

that emerged were loan repayment and expanded pathways to becoming a nursing. 

Many commented on the many barriers to nursing program admission, while others 

felt that advancement through education is not attainable because they will have 

outstanding loans that will in themselves be difficult to repay. The Commissioner 

promised to take these ideas back to the roundtable. 

The perennial program favorite was a panel discussion with recent graduates. This year 

there were two recent graduates Benson Canfield RN, who currently works at Cottage 

Hospital and Abigail Buchanan RN who currently works at Dartmouth Health. They both 

clearly love their jobs. Carol Allen, Chair of the Commission facilitated the discussion. The 

biggest take home point the new graduates shared was: ask for help. They talked about 

how one day you are a student and the next you are “the nurse.” Asked how they flipped 

the switch they both stated that they had to remind themselves to use and be confident in 

the knowledge and skills they learned in school. They also cautioned though that there are 

times that you need to use your resources. “There may be tears!” 

Students in the audience were most interested in how to pass NCLEX. Both panelists 

passed the exam on their first attempt (not without angst) using different testing strategies, 

Abigail was determined to pass because she had a job waiting for her, so she used UWorld 

and maxed out on the number of practice questions she took. Benson used the program


he used in school, ATI. Benson noted that he thought that 

ATI was harder than NCLEX but was still sure leaving the 

testing center that he had failed. Fortunately, both passed 

the exam and are currently licensed. We wish them both 

long and successful careers. 

There were three live presentations based on the theme of 

Your Future in Nursing 

Caitlin Yazel BSN, APRN, CPNP, Nurse Manager 

& Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in the Department of 

Dermatology – Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center 

focused her presentation on Your Future in Nursing 

Ambulatory Care. Here are her key messages 

1. There is a gap between the world of in-patient nursing 

and outpatient nursing and we have to find where 

these two worlds collide. We know what the day-today 

work of the inpatient nurse is but we have to find 

a way to define the role of the ambulatory care nurse. 

The ambulatory care nurse role is to help patients 

adhere to treatment with the restrictions the pandemic 

places on the system. 

2. There is good news we are on the cusp of a massive 

change in healthcare! It scares some, but it shouldn’t! 

Change=powerful Nursing talents are becoming 

highlighted now more than ever because of the 

shortage. 

3. How nurses can get involved: Nurses on Boards, 

Nurses as authors, Nurses in leadership positions (find 

a mentor) and Nurses as innovators 

Kaitlyn Liset, RN, MS Chair of the Commission on Climate 

Action and Health and her panel of Brooke and Jacob 

McGinnis and Brooke Hall, both student members from 

UNH DEMN program presented: Your Future in Nursing: 

Climate Action and Health. Their key messages included 

1. The link between climate change and health: 

“Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected 

to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths 

per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and 

heat stress.” https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/climate-change-and-health. 

“We in 

New Hampshire are no longer immune to poor air 

quality, extreme heat, flash flooding and its associated 

soil erosion and run-off contamination, unexpected 

drought as happened this year, warming waters and 

their effect on fish, shellfish and food safety, longer 

pollen and allergy seasons, more weeds and pests, 

increased tick and mosquito hosts for Lyme disease, 

West Nile and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, let alone 

the inevitable coastal flooding from sea level rise.” 

2. An example of how climate change is linked to health 

is the increasing risk for Lyme Disease as the climate 

in our area is warming, is wetter, and LD is already 

endemic. We do have opportunities to provide better 

education and increased awareness among patients 

and the population. Early recognition and treatment 

are highly effective in preventing the downstream 

consequences of Lyme Disease. Nurses can: 

- Increase awareness 

- Prevent exposure 

- Assist in diagnosis and prompt treatment through 

identification 

- Assess and monitor risks 

- Report for tracking and trending 

For more information about Climate Action and Health 

visit: https://www.nhclimatehealth.org/ 

Julie Cote, DNP, MBA, RN, CNE focused her presentation 

on: The Future of Nursing: Advancing Health and Health 

Equity. Dr. Cote centered her remarks on the Upstream/ 

Downstream Parable of Health Equity. Here are her key 

messages: 

• Downstream. Chronic disease treatment— 

emergency services, pharmacology, surgery, and 

dialysis. 

• Mid-stream. Modifying individual behavior—physical 

activity, nutrition, tobacco use, maternal health, high 

school graduation, and violence control. 

• Upstream. Addressing social determinants of 

health—conditions in which people are born, grow, 

live, work, and play. 

The point being that in healthcare we need to consider 

the Social Determinants of health and being to shift our 

focus from downstream (individual treatment) to upstream 

(prevention strategies for the whole community, with a 

focus on the vulnerable). Dr. Cote engaged the student 

with her own experiences illustrating the parable. 

ANA was offering a webinar presentation on the Top 

Ten Workplace Hazards, a program designed for New 

Graduates and Early Career Nursing. The 90 minute 

live webinar was streamed during the program. The 

common workplace hazards including commonly cited 

hazards and how to avoid them included slips, trips 

and falls, ergonomic or back injury, needlestick injury, 

chemical hazards but most importantly was the hazard 

of workplace violence. Attendees were sent the link to 

access and share the webinar after the program. We 

received positive feedback from the conference attendees 

and also some feedback on how we can improve the 

conference in the future which we will consider for our 

2023 in person conference. The date and location will be 

announced well in advance to encourage as many schools 

as possible to send students for this important professional 

opportunity.


Early Career and 2022 Graduating 

Student Nurse Conference 

NHNA WISHES TO EXTEND A THANK YOU TO 2022 

CONFERENCE SPONSORS: 

Catholic Medical Center – Manchester 

Jennifer.Torosian@cmc-nh.org 

New Hampshire Hospital 

http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcbcs/nhh 

Rivier University 

landing.online.rivier.edu 

Cheshire Medical Center -- Keene 

http://www.cheshiremed.org/careers 

Solution Health: Elliot Health System 

& Southern New Hampshire Health – 

Manchester and Nashua 

www.ElliotHospital.org 

www.SNHCareers.org 

Saint Joseph's College of Maine 

http://www.sjcme.edu/nursing 

Cottage Hospital 

www.cottagehospital.org/careers 

Granite VNA --Concord 

http://www.granitevna.org/ 

Southern New Hampshire University 

snhu.edu/nursing 

Dartmouth-Hitchcock – 

Lebanon – Concord – Manchester – Nashua 

www.DHnursing.org/NRP 

Grand Canyon University 

www.gcu.edu 

University of New Hampshire 

https://chhs.unh.edu/nursing/graduateprograms 

Encompass Health – Concord NH 

and Massachusetts 

http://www.encompasshealth.com/ 

Quinnipiac University 

Qu.edu/nursing 

University of Southern Maine 

kate.flanders@apdegrees.com


WELCOME NEW and RETURNING NHNA MEMBERS! 

NHNA welcomes these new and returning members. Thank you!!! What do these 45 nurses and over 1,100 NHNA members know that you don’t? 

If you are not a member ask your neighbor on this list why they joined! Go to nhnurses.org where joining is easy and one of the best 

professional values for your money! We want to see your name here in the next issue of the NH Nursing NEWS! 

Amherst 

Nicole Maher- 

Whiteside 

Antrim 

Monica Stevens White 

Atkinson 

Michelle Dianne 

Chianca 

Barrington 

Jillian Fitzpatrick 

Bartlett 

Mary O'Keefe 

Belmont 

Heather Jean Phelan 

Bethlehem 

Tina Williamson 

Canterbury 

Kerrie Haynes 

Claremont 

Ryan Terry 

Colebrook 

Sharon W. Milan-Snow 

Concord 

Angelique Catherine 

Carrier 

Derry 

Deanna L Benjamin 

East Hampstead 

Jennifer Denise 

Thebodeau 

Farmington 

Briana Posanka 

Goffstown 

Bobbi Harrington 

Hillsboro 

Mary Marciniak 

Hopkinton 

Glennis McKinley 

Hudson 

Joy A Baum 

Colin Evans 

Kristen Veneman 

Laconia 

Patricia J O'Connor 

Lisbon 

Mary I Carlson 

Manchester 

Gale Lyman 

Alicia Colleran 

Merrimack 

Grace Desrosiers 

Marylee Verdi 

Christopher Malachite 

Milton Mills 

Jane Rosa 

Nashua 

Kathleen Hughson 

New Ipswich 

Emily Spenski 

New London 

Gia Paone 

Maura C Marshall 

Newmarket 

Melody I Gibson 

Newton 

Roxanne Ashby 

North Haverhill 

Laura Hitchmoth 

Pembroke 

Susan Lynn Rooks 

Pittsburg 

Monique Blair 

Pittsfield 

Danielle Lemieux 

Rindge 

Natalie Kennett 

Rochester 

Virginia Lawrence 

Rumney 

Brittany Hilton 

Strafford 

Spofford Wilkinson 

Warner 

Valerie Smith 

Windham 

Dierdre H Gilroy 

Wonalancet 

Amy Russell 

Combating Compassion Fatigue and Burnout During the Pandemic 

Two years into the COVID-19 crisis, healthcare professionals have continually seen and 

dealt with the dramatic changes that the pandemic has brought. Specifically, the nursing 

profession has felt the pressures of the severity of the situation with ongoing shortages and 

what has felt like a lack of permanent relief efforts. Even before the ongoing pandemic, 

healthcare workers were dealing with an internal epidemic; a nursing shortage that has led 

to continual burnout and compassion fatigue (CF). With the constant stress of increased 

workloads, high infection risks, and unsafe working conditions, nurses are calling for a 

need of advocacy and support for those once known as healthcare heroes. 

Nursing burnout and CF are areas in healthcare that are often spoken of, but little less 

than acted upon. With the exacerbation of the pandemic and the strain of an already 

demanding population, the mental health aspect associated with the lack of solutions 

can be cause for exponential consequences in an already failing system. As the average 

age of nurses continues to climb, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts over one 

million nurses to retire by 2030, furthering the burden on healthcare needs (U.S. Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, 2021). Obtaining and retaining nurses at this time should be a priority for 

healthcare institutions, yet those experiencing burnout and CF voice their concerns over 

the lack of value seen and felt within recent years. For Barnabas Crozby*, who works in 

the float pool at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (NL-EMMC), there is a lack 

of concern felt, as little has been done by the facility to retain nurses or provide mental 

health support. “They’ve done nothing. [Eventually] the minimum wage was raised, but 

this wasn’t done until after we lost a lot of techs, dietary, housekeeping, etc.” states Crozby, 

“So, naturally, nursing is filling all these gaps while still being expected to continue taking 

the same number of patients, often at higher acuity.” The realities of burnout and CF are an 

ongoing concern for the general nursing population due to the increased difficulties that 

lead to burnout. For Crozby, the lack of acknowledgment and support from management 

has been detrimental to what was once a passion for quality care in nursing. After over five 

years working as a bedside nurse at NL-EMMC, Crozby is left questioning their career: “I 

am not entirely sure I want to be a nurse anymore.” 

A career in nursing comes with the burden of mental, physical, and emotional stress. 

With the already known shortages in addition to burnout and CF, the pandemic has 

simply exacerbated and shed light on the epidemic of mental health in nursing. Nursing 

quality of life has rapidly declined since the start of the pandemic, with studies showing 

the number one component for the rise of mental health in nursing being that of poor 

working conditions (Havaei et al., 2022). This can be seen as due to increasing nurse-topatient 

ratios, higher acuity patients, lack of support and resources, as well as requirements 

to work overtime. Overworking nurses causes mental and emotional exhaustion, 

which many are currently experiencing in addition to increased stress and depression 

levels (Murat, Köse & Savaser, 2020). Largely, the core of the issue not only comes from 

a nursing shortage but also due to the focus of healthcare administration being that 

of profit over safety in patient care. This is what has led to a healthcare system creating 

liability due to the inconsistencies of health support for the caregivers who provide care. 

The consequences of allowing nurses to continue to work in harsh environments will 

only further impair the healthcare system by facilitating shortages as burnout has been 

associated with lack of sleep, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even suicide (Schlak et al., 

2022). Burnout has also been related to increasing losses in revenue as a 2019 study by 

Annals of Internal Medicine estimated that burnout costs the healthcare industry up to $4.6 

billion a year (Han et al., 2019). 

Advocating for safety in nursing leads to the promotion of quality of care in 

patients as burnout and compassion fatigue are seen to be linked to decreased 

patient satisfaction, high infection rates, increased risk of errors, poorer quality 

care, longer hospitalizations, and increased risk of mortality (Schlak et al., 

2022). The need to implement mental health policies to mitigate burnout and 

CF is crucial to effectively support professional quality of life in nursing and 

increase patient safety. Developing strategies to combat burnout and CF requires 

immediate action to remedy the issue at the core and will further decrease 

healthcare costs and increase retention in healthcare. Strategies include 

increasing promoting self-care, recruitment efforts, acknowledging good work 

ethic, building a sense of community, and pushing for safe staffing regulations 

(American Nurses Association, 2019). Providing a culture of well-being and peer 

support into the work and home environment allows for a sense of appreciation 

in a job that has little acknowledgment. 

The need to advocate for healthcare professionals is higher now than ever. 

The demand for nursing retention requires providing empathetic nurse leaders, 

increasing pay, and engaging nurses in decision-making efforts (Hoang, 2021). 

Effective communication between management and staffing, as well as 

supporting safe-staffing ratios and implementing mental health support, will 

further enhance professional quality of life. We must make these changes that 

can save the lives of nurses, patients, and the communities that we serve. We 

must promote patient outcomes, and that begins with nurturing the lives of our 

healthcare heroes. 

*Name has been changed for privacy 

References: 

American Nurses Association. (2019). Nurse Staffing Advocacy. ANA. Retrieved from https://www. 

nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nurse-staffing/nurse-staffing-advocacy/?__hstc=249295192. 

b37650795b2320ea68fe4b88d63e7eaf.1646575636791.1646575636791.1646577542605.2&__hs 

sc=249295192.1.1646577542605&__hsfp=999455785 

Han, S., Shanafelt, T. D., Sinsky, C. A., Awad, K. M., Dyrbye, L. N., Fiscus, L. C., Trockel, 

M., & Goh, J. (2019). Estimating the attributable cost of physician burnout in the 

United States. Annals of Internal Medicine, 170(11). https://doi.org/10.7326/m18-1422 

Havaei, F., Tang, X., Smith, P., Boamah, S. A., & Frankfurter, C. (2022). The association 

between mental health symptoms and quality and safety of patient care before 

and during COVID-19 among Canadian nurses. Healthcare, 10(2), 1–13. https://doi. 

org/10.3390/healthcare10020314 

Hoang, S. (2021). 3 strategies for combating nurse burnout during and after the 

pandemic. Oncology Nurse, 14(1), 14. 

Murat, M., Köse, S., & Savaser, S. (2020). Determination of stress, depression and burnout 

levels of front-line nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of 

Mental Health Nursing, 30(2), 533–543. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12818 

Schlak, A. E., Rosa, W. E., Rushton, C. H., Poghosyan, L., Root, M. C., & McHugh, M. 

D. (2022). An expanded institutional- and national-level blueprint to address nurse 

burnout and moral suffering amid the evolving pandemic. Nursing management, 

53(1), 16–27. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000805032.15402.b3 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021, September 8). Registered nurses : Occupational 

outlook handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bls. 

gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm


Rivier University’s new Nursing Simulation and Clinical Education 

Center is transforming the delivery of nursing education 

Rivier University’s nursing labs have been 

transformed with a $5 million total renovation. 

The Nursing Simulation and Clinical Education 

Center is open and fully operational for handson 

learning and high-tech simulation for nurses 

and nurse practitioners. State-of-the-art skills and 

simulation labs offer the newest technology for 

clinical assessment, community nursing, and telehealth simulation. The 17,825-squarefoot 

facility provides students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in 

controlled clinical settings and is the most recent advancement in the University’s 

multi-year campus enhancement plan. 

“The future of nursing education is here,” says Sister Paula Marie Buley, IHM, Rivier’s 

President. “Rivier has long been at the forefront of simulation-based learning, and 

the new center offers nearly limitless opportunities for students to gain sophisticated 

clinical skills in our fully accredited ASN, BSN, RN-BSN, MSN, and DNP programs.” 

The center spans the second level of Sylvia Trottier Hall and includes six simulation 

labs and assessment areas, two classrooms, a lecture hall, a suite of nursing 

administrative and faculty offices, and several areas for faculty-student collaboration. 

Simulation labs mirror the settings in which nurses most often provide care: medical/ 

surgical and pediatric/neonatal hospital rooms, an obstetrics room, examination 

rooms, and telehealth offices. Designated labs accommodate undergraduate nursing, 

public health, and advanced nurse practitioner training. 

“As healthcare advances, Rivier adapts,” shares Dr. Paula Williams, Dean of the 

Division of Nursing and Health Professions. “The new center is fully equipped with 

state-of-the-art technology, which allows us to manage, record, and assess simulation 

training for practice in real-world health environments. We have a wide variety of 

high-fidelity simulators including pediatric Hal, the world’s most advanced wireless 

pediatric simulator and the first to simulate lifelike emotions through dynamic facial 

expressions, movement, and speech.” 

The University is a nationally ranked top 100 nursing school out of 3,000 

institutions evaluated across the country by Nursing Schools Almanac and 

honored as the #1 private nursing school in New Hampshire. The RN-BSN 

online program is ranked #1 in the state by RegisteredNursing.org. Additionally, 

Intelligent.com has ranked Rivier in the Top 50 for Best Nurse Practitioner 

Degree programs nationally. 

Focused on continuous improvement and innovative technology, the University 

has launched a $5 million renovation of facilities for business and security 

studies. The enhanced facility will welcome students for the fall semester and 

will mirror modern business environments with cybersecurity labs, an Enterprise 

Zone fostering interaction and innovation, an office suite and conference room, 

and university technology services. The facility will support the education 

of management, finance, marketing, sport management, cybersecurity 

management, and homeland and international security majors. 

The University is accepting applications for all programs and offers on-the-spot 

admission decisions. Test scores are not required, and there is no application fee. 

Interested students can access more information at www.rivier.edu and contact 

the Office of Admissions at (603) 897-8507 or admissions@rivier.edu. Oneon-one 

virtual meetings with enrollment advisors can be arranged by visiting 

www.rivier.edu/admissions/team/. 

Rivier University www.rivier.edu 

420 South Main Street 

Nashua, NH 03060 

WE ARE HIRING 

COTTAGE HOSPITAL. WOODSVILLE . NEW HAMPSHIRE 

REGISTERED NURSES 

FULL-TIME, PART-TIME AND PER DIEM 

DAY AND NIGHT SHIFT - BENEFIT ELIGIBLE 

MED SURG/ICU 

SURGICAL SERVICES 

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT 

GERIATRIC PSYCH 

SIGN-ON BONUSES OFFERED FOR SOME POSITIONS! 

WHY COTTAGE? FOR MORE THAN 115 YEARS, COTTAGE HOSPITAL HAS SERVED 

THE RESIDENTS OF THE UPPER CONNECTICUT VALLEY. TODAY, COTTAGE HOSPITAL IS A LEVEL IV 

TRAUMA CENTER AND MODERN 35-BED CRITICAL ACCESS HOSPITAL THAT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED 

FOR PROVIDING EXEMPLARY CARE. OUR HOSPITAL OFFERS LOW-COST, HIGH-QUALITY HEALTHCARE 

DESIGNED FOR YOUR SCHEDULE. “WE’VE CREATED AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE EVERYONE STRIVES FOR 

EXCELLENCE.” THIS “CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE” IS EVIDENT IN THE HOSPITAL’S QUALITY CARE RESULTS! 

We are an equal opportunity employer 

APPLY TODAY! COTTAGEHOSPITAL.ORG/CAREERS 

About Rivier University 

Founded in 1933 by the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, Rivier University 

is a Catholic institution recognized for distinctive academic programs, offering 

many of the region’s leading programs at the undergraduate, professional 

studies, graduate, and doctoral levels with on-campus and online options. The 

Rivier experience ensures that students develop leadership skills as well as an 

awareness and appreciation of diverse cultures in New England and around the 

world. 

Registered Nurses 

Full Time – 3 day work week 

Part Time – All Shifts 

Psychiatric Specialty Areas: 

Young Adult, Adult, Geriatric & Crisis Stabilization 

Competitive Benefits & Pay Scale 

Extensive Paid Orientation | Recent Graduates Welcome! 

View job specifications and how to 

apply for external RN postings: 

http://das.nh.gov/jobsearch/Employment.aspx 

New Hampshire Hospital 

NH Department of Health and Human Services 

36 Clinton Street Concord, NH 03301 

Human Resources 603-271-5855


It’s Time to Talk About Athletic Urinary Incontinence 

Hailey Stevens & Bridget Linehan, PhD, APRN 

Most women are familiar with the concept of stress urinary incontinence, in which the 

pressure or ‘stress’ on the bladder causes a person to leak urine. Stress incontinence 

affects 29 million women in the United States (Patel et al., 2022). Along the same lines, 

many women experience stress incontinence during exercise. The forces that occur 

during exercise increase intra-abdominal pressure, overcoming the resistance provided 

by the pelvic floor, increasing the chance that women will have urinary incontinence 

during exercise. 

This leakage of urine during activity or exercise has been named Athletic urinary 

incontinence (UI), and this topic has become an increasingly popular focus of study 

in the past three decades, particularly since 2019. The prevalence of Athletic UI 

varies dramatically from sport to sport, with low rates in low-impact sports such 

as swimming and golf, and high rates in high-impact sports such as gymnastics, 

trampoline, and volleyball (Bø & Nygaard, 2020; see figure 1). 

Athletic UI is not a small concern for many women, and there can be a significant 

social stigma about incontinence. It can cause worry, frustration, and embarrassment 

for female athletes and active women. Visible leaks are bothersome for athletes, 

especially in gymnastics and other sports where uniforms provide minimal coverage. 

Greater than 60% of gymnasts and cheerleaders reported that urine leakage caused 

them embarrassment (Skaug et al., 2021). Exercising in public and knowing they might 

leak at any moment can make women feel vulnerable. As one female weightlifter 

explained, “It sucks having this issue, it affects my confidence, security, and potential 

of missing or making lifts” (Wikander et al., 2021). 

The stigma, worry, and embarrassment about incontinence causes many women to 

exercise less, exercise only in particular locations or at certain times, or stop exercising 

altogether. One out of every five athletes with UI occasionally avoids training and 

specific exercises due to leakage (Skaug et al., 2021). Physical activity and exercise are 

known to improve health and reduce the risk of developing many chronic diseases, 

such as hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia. Therefore, if Athletic UI 

causes women to reduce the amount or type of physical exercise or stop exercising 

altogether, there is a risk that it could negatively affect their overall health. 

Prior studies have shown that women are very private about their Athletic UI and do 

not talk to anyone about it. In our recent study of 61 active women, only one-third 

talked about their incontinence with a healthcare professional. As nurses, we can help 

by asking about incontinence and encouraging women to seek help. Each time we 

reach out to ask a woman about incontinence, we are supporting her ability to stay 

engaged in exercise and self-care, enabling her to reap the many physical and mental 

health benefits of regular exercise. 

References 

Bø, K., & Nygaard, I. E. (2020). Is Physical Activity Good or Bad for the Female Pelvic Floor? 

A Narrative Review. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 50(3), 471–484. https://doi. 

org/10.1007/s40279-019-01243-1 

Nygaard, I. E., Thompson, F. L., Svengalis, S. L., & Albright, J. P. (1994). Urinary incontinence in 

elite nulliparous athletes. Obstetrics and gynecology, 84(2), 183–187. 

Patel, U. J., Godecker, A. L., Giles, D. L., & Brown, H. W. (2022). Updated Prevalence of 

Urinary Incontinence in Women: 2015-2018 National Population-Based Survey Data. 

Female pelvic medicine & reconstructive surgery, 28(4), 181–187. https://doi.org/10.1097/ 

SPV.0000000000001127 

Skaug, K. L., Engh, M. E., Frawley, H., & Bø, K. (2021). Urinary and anal incontinence among 

female gymnasts and cheerleaders-bother and associated factors. A cross-sectional study. 

International Urogynecology Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-021-04696-z 

Wikander, L., Kirshbaum, M. N., Waheed, N., & Gahreman, D. E. (2021). Urinary Incontinence 

in Competitive Women Weightlifters. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 

https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004052 

We have recently begun a study to test out a questionnaire that assesses UI in active 

women, called the Active Women’s Incontinence Screening Tool (AWIST). This 

questionnaire was designed to serve as a comprehensive assessment of the many 

variables that affect UI, including activity level, type of activity, embarrassment, bowel 

and bladder habits, fluid intake habits, obstetric history, and other important factors. If 

you would like to participate in the AWIST validation study, please scan the QR code 

below. 

It is our hope that nurses and other healthcare providers will ask women about 

incontinence and help them connect with skilled nurse practitioners and midwives, 

pelvic floor physical therapists, gynecologists, and urologists who can help treat their 

symptoms and keep them active and engaged in life as they would like to be. 

Figure 1. 

Percentage of Women Who Experience UI by Activity Type 

Note. Graph created by Jess Perkins. Percentages from Nygaard et al. (1994).


Improving Employee Engagement 

on an Inpatient Unit: A Quality 

Improvement Project 

Holly A. McCormack DNP RN 

Abstract 

BACKGROUND: Engaged employees are paramount 

to the success of an organization. They are more 

invested in their organization and the unit on which 

they work. This investment in the organization results 

in higher patient satisfaction and safety, less staff 

turnover, and improved quality. According to the 

literature, generational differences may be necessary 

to consider when improving employee engagement. 

To successfully lead a multigenerational workforce, 

nurse leaders should consider these differences 

and incorporate them into their strategic plan for 

employee engagement. 

METHODS: A pilot survey was conducted on a 

medical-surgical unit to assess a perceived lack of 

engagement. Subsequently, work engagement was 

evaluated utilizing a validated tool called the Utrecht 

Work Engagement Scale. This quantitative tool was 

combined with four qualitative questions to assess 

the demographics of the respondents. Eighty-six staff 

received the link for the anonymous survey; 28 staff 

responded to the survey, a 32% return rate. 

INTERVENTIONS: A Think Tank, via the Zoom platform, 

was organized as a method that enabled a broader reach 

to a larger audience. Nursing leaders from two participating 

organizations were invited to attend. The Think Tank 

provided an opportunity to collaborate on employee 

engagement and the recommendations surrounding the 

issue. Generational implications of employee engagement 

were a highlight. Including the project lead, eight nursing 

leaders participated in the Think Tank. 

RESULTS: The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale 

demonstrated an average employee engagement 

at each participating organization. The additional 

qualitative questions showed a trend in generational 

response and participation in the engagement survey. 

These responses provided the subject matter for the 

ensuing Think Tank with the hospital nursing leaders. 

CONCLUSION: The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale 

demonstrated that the respondents to the survey were 

engaged at an average level. The demographical 

questions suggested that there may be a link between 

the generational cohort and survey response. This 

link is essential for nursing leadership as the Baby 

Boomer and Generation X nurses exit the workforce. 

Additional research on this topic is warranted. 

Utilizing a Think Tank to collaborate on shared 

experiences and recommendations for improving 

employee engagement of a multigenerational medical 

surgical staff is an effective strategy for reaching a 

broad audience. 

Keywords: employee engagement generational cohort, 

nursing, generations, quality improvement, medicalsurgical, 

think tank 

Florence 

Nightingale. 

Clara Barton. 

Radonda Vaught? 

The guilty verdict in the 

Radonda Vaught trial has the 

very real capacity to shape 

nursing for decades. 

Jessica Reeves, MSN, MPH, APRN 

Editor, New Hampshire Nursing News 

Mistakes and errors are regrettable but inevitable risks of 

the job. As nurses, we are trained to report mistakes and 

errors when they happen; maintenance of transparency in 

this way is an important element of our profession and is 

intended to inform improvements that will, in turn, reduce 

the likelihood of a recurrence of the error. 

The context in which Radonda’s error occurred may be a 

familiar one to many nurses. Overworked and understaffed. 

Unsustainable staffing ratios and workload. Ever-changing 

workflows, technology updates and unofficial shortcuts and 

workarounds. All of this is a recipe for disaster – not only for 

patients, but for nurses as well. 

When this error came to light, Radonda’s employer was 

also investigated. Serious gaps in patient safety policies and 

systems were found, determined to present an immediate 

danger to patients. Radonda’s employer did not face 

criminal charges (civil charges were brought, and settled out 

of court with the family), and received no punishment from 

the state health department. 

Will the Implementation of the 

Joy in Work Framework Improve 

Nurse Leader Resiliency? 

Susan Santana, DNP, MBA, RN, NE-BC 

Vice President of Patient Care Services and 

Chief Nursing Officer 

Southern NH Medical Center 

Abstract 

Introduction: Nurse leaders are a critical part of 

the healthcare team and are faced with increasing 

responsibilities and multiple ongoing stressors that 

have a daily and damaging impact on the leader’s 

ability to succeed. Nurse leaders are at high risk for 

burnout and at risk for leaving the profession and 

as a result, nurse leaders must develop and sustain 

a significant capacity of resilience to thrive and 

succeed as transformational leaders in healthcare. 

The purpose of this study is to use the Institute for 

Healthcare Improvement’s Joy in Work Framework 

to help discover and improve the conditions that 

contribute to nurse leader’s joy in the workplace. 

Methods: An interventional mixed methods design 

was used for this study. The intervention included 

the introduction and implementation of the Joy 

in Work Framework. The quantitative design 

utilized the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale 

(CD-RISC) and a Paired Samples t-Test was used 

to compare the data points from the CD-RISC 25 

tool pre and post intervention. The qualitative 

design assessed the nurse leader’s responses to 

the Framework during group interview sessions. 

The implementation included two 1-hour sessions 

conducted with 27 nurse leaders over a 2-month 

time-frame. 

Results: The Paired Samples t-Test indicated a 

statistically significant increase in the total CD- 

RISC-25 score after the intervention compared 

to pre-intervention (81.81 post vs. 76.85 pre, t=- 

2.16, p=0.04/p


Do We Really Know What is In Our 

Food? The Connection Between 

Dietary Mycotoxin Exposure and 

Pediatric Crohn’s Disease 

Susan Gonya, MA, RD, RN, CCRN 

Upper Valley Community Nursing Project has some exciting news. We have 

changed our name to Community Nurse Connection. Kristin Barnum, RN, BSN, 

MBA is our new Executive Director and Jill M. Lord, RN, MS is our new Board 

Chair. 

Our aim is to unite, strengthen and support regional Community Nursing 

Programs. 

Our beliefs are based on a holistic philosophy of nursing, which dates 

back to the mid 19th century—a time when nurses focused on the health of 

individuals, families, and groups within a community. 

Our focus is on the health people drawn together by such commonalities as 

location, religious affiliation, social connections, or fraternal association. 

We believe every community deserves access to a community nurse. 

Please visit our website: communitynurseconnection.org or email 

kristin@communitynurseconnection to learn more about connecting more 

communities with nurses. 

NHNA Supports MCED Legislation 

Pamela P. DiNapoli, PhD, RN, CNL 

Executive Director, NHNA 

Unity in politics, we hear all too often, is something more honored in the breach 

than the observance. But it does happen, and it should be celebrated when it 

occurs—especially if it helps to save lives. 

Congress has a number of urgent priorities, but the fact remains that cancer 

will take the lives of more than 600,000 Americans this year alone. Recently, I 

am happy to note, the entire New Hampshire delegation to Congress signed the 

Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Act (https://www.congress. 

gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1946/all-info?r=6&s=1), legislation that will, 

ultimately, enable millions of Americans to detect cancer in its earlier, more 

treatable stages. As an exemplar of unity in politics, it does not get much better 

than this. 

As registered nurses, patient care and interactions place us in the front row to the 

emotional and physical cost cancer patients, and their families, endure. Therefore, 

as a the executive director of New Hampshire Nurses Association, a membership 

organization that values caring and the health of the NH population, I am happy 

to see that our Congressional Delegation took notice and acted with patients in 

mind. Here in New Hampshire, cancer is the leading cause of death. There were 

an estimated 2800 deaths from cancer this year with an estimated 9,340 more of 

our citizens diagnosed with the disease this year alone. Cancer remains the second 

leading cause of death in America and early diagnosis and treatment are our best 

weapons in the battle against cancer. 

There is no doubt that the right thing to do is to take advantage of all available 

cancer screenings. Tests like pap smears, mammograms and colonoscopies save 

lives with early diagnosis. Identification of cancer in its earliest stages yields a fiveyear 

survival rate of 89%. 

Sadly, there is a lack of early screening for most cancer types. At present, we only 

have the ability to test for five of the more than 100 common cancers. There is 

hope on the horizon. Multi-cancer early detection (“MCED”) technologies, 

currently in front of the Food and Drug Administration, will allow healthcare 

professionals to test for dozens of cancer types with a single cancer. The Medicare 

Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, supported by our NH 

delegation, would create a pathway for Medicare to cover these potentially 

lifesaving innovations upon approval by the FDA with a single screening. 

President Joe Biden announced a challenge to his own administration and those 

that follow to: reduce the cancer mortality rate by 50% over the next quarter 

century. He dubbed this the “Cancer Moonshot,” something akin to the challenge 

President John F. Kennedy posed to Americans that resulted in our landing on the 

moon. A crucial component of this moonshot, President Biden noted, would be 

“a call to action for cancer screening and early detection.” Additionally, President 

Biden spoke to the promise of new multicancer technologies. 

As the president then exclaimed, “When we work together in America, there is 

nothing — nothing beyond our capacity. Nothing. So, let’s show the world what’s 

possible. Let’s show the world that we’re committed.” 

Abstract 

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD) has increased 

over the past few decades. The etiology of CD has not yet been elucidated. Still, 

researchers have identified variables associated with the disease process, including 

genetic predisposition, environmental triggers like a poor-quality diet, air pollution, 

water pollution, and a dysbiotic microbiome with increased fungal diversity as 

predisposing factors. Fungal mycotoxin contamination in the food supply from 

toxicants like Deoxynivalenol (DON), a highly prevalent gastrointestinal irritant, 

has largely been ignored as a potential factor influencing the fungal dysbiosis 

and symptoms associated with the disease process. It is hypothesized that global 

and intermittent exposure to mycotoxins like DON may negatively affect the 

gastrointestinal health of pediatric CD patients. 

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this two-part thesis project was to search the literature 

for evidence of widespread mycotoxin contamination in the food supply. Then, to test 

local food commodities for mycotoxins to assess the need to develop a low-mycotoxin 

diet as a potential treatment modality for pediatric CD. 

METHODS: An integrative review of studies measuring global DON prevalence was 

conducted and presented in table and narrative format. With evidence that wheat and 

corn crops are routinely contaminated with mycotoxins, these flours were directly 

tested for DON using lateral flow screening technology. Wheat bread and pasta 

samples were also analyzed and sent to Trilogy laboratory for liquid chromatography, 

mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry mycotoxin testing. Descriptive statistics were 

used to quantify chemical testing results. 

RESULTS: Results showed that globally, wheat, corn, bakery products, pasta, and 

mothers’ milk were routinely contaminated with DON. There was sufficient evidence 

to suggest that other grain-based crops, soy, coffee, tea, dried spices, nuts, certain 

seed oils, animal milk, and various water reservoirs are intermittently contaminated. 

Direct measurement of foods in a typical child’s diet, such as pasta, bread, and 

raw ingredients such as wheat- and corn-based flours, also demonstrated routine 

contamination with DON. Some pasta samples were also contaminated with HT-2 

toxin. Contamination rates were significantly higher in 2021 than in 2019, showing the 

problem may be escalating. 

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Universally, children appear to be at risk 

for higher exposures to DON than adults due to their increased intake of cerealbased 

foods relative to their lower body weight. This study suggests that mycotoxin 

contamination in the food supply is common. The cumulative effects of multiple 

mycotoxin exposures by pediatric CD patients may pose serious health risks. 

Further investigation into the role mycotoxin contamination plays in the disease 

process, microbial perturbations, and fungal dysbiosis inherent in CD is needed. The 

information obtained here demonstrates a need to develop a “Low Mycotoxin Diet” 

for pediatric CD patients to help mitigate the common occurrence of these biohazards. 

KEYWORDS: Crohn’s disease, Pediatrics, Deoxynivalenol, Diet, and Mycotoxin 

NursingALD.com can point you 

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Thank you to our NH delegation for support on this important legislation and the 

promise for advances in early detection and treatment leading to increases survival 

rates.


Dropping the Stigma Surrounding 

Substance Use Disorder 

There once lived a beautiful, astute, and kind 

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). She 

was very frustrated with her pervasive religion and 

family life expectations. She wanted a divorce from 

a 20-year marriage to her husband and friend; she 

was not in love with him anymore, and, they had no 

children to unite them. She struggled with the threat 

of admonishment and rejection in her personal life 

for years. She put her affairs in order, diverted drugs 

from the hospital, rented a hotel room, started an 

intravenous line, and left us behind. 

One fine sunny day, a different APRN broke her leg 

while skiing. After surgery, she became addicted 

to narcotics prescriptions. Upon returning to work, 

struggling with the withdrawal symptoms from 

oxycontin, she diverted unused fentanyl instead of 

wasting it. Her addiction quickly escalated. When 

her family and coworkers noticed a behavior 

change, they collaborated with a professional and 

planned an intervention. Despite resistance to help 

and fear of the unknown, this brave nurse allowed 

them to take her to inpatient treatment, followed 

by intensive outpatient treatment, counseling, 

and immersion into a 12-step recovery program. 

She reported to her states’ monitoring program, 

completed probation, and safely returned to work. 

She is now 22 years sober, still active in a 12-step 

recovery program, and happily dedicated to helping 

others find help and hope from addiction. 

Nursing is a challenging profession where situations 

change at a moment’s notice, and reactions can 

be very critical. RNnetwork surveys from 2016 

and 2018 recognize burnout, staffing shortages, 

and harassment as job-related impacts on nurses’ 

mental health and report that about half of all 

respondents (49%) have considered leaving 

nursing in the past two years (Cornwall, 2018, 

December 12; Sutherland, 2017, February 28). 

Sadly, researchers at the University of California, 

San Diego, found that nurses have a higher risk of 

suicide than the general population, with female 

nurse 1.4 times more likely than female non-nurses 

and male nurses 1.2 times more likely than male 

non-nurses (Davidson et al., 2020). The probable 

impact of COVID-19 on these numbers is cause for 

alarm. 

Although many choose nursing as a career for the 

benefits of it being a rewarding profession with 

steady, reliable work and income, a healthcare 

career comes with some inherent stressors that 

mingle with everyday life challenges. Nurses 

experience on the job violence, patient deaths, 

and work compression, that contributes to physical 

and mental pain. Dupont & Merlo (2018) indicate 

that the reasons healthcare providers are at risk for 

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) include high-stress 

environments, difficulty seeking help from others, 

and access to drugs. Stone et al. (2021) define 

SUD as “a chronic, relapsing, potentially deadly 

condition [which] occurs when the recurrent use 

of substances significantly impairs an individual’s 

health and the ability to meet major vocational, 

academic, or personal responsibilities.” Over 

time, the disease of addiction results in long-term 

changes to the brain’s neurotransmitter circuitry 

(e.g., dopamine, serotonin) (Bartlett et al., 2013). 

The condition can be mild, moderate, or severe 

depending on the number of behavioral and 

physiological criteria met per the Diagnostic and 

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. 

Despite SUD being a known occupational hazard 

among healthcare workers, the prevalence may 

be challenging to exact, ranging from 8% to 20% 

(Mumba & Kraemer, 2019; Wright et al., 2012). 

Complicating the landscape are mental health 

concerns that may be independent or coexist with 

substance misuse and SUD. 

Courtright (2010) recognizes that historically, 

society viewed addicted persons as morally 

flawed or lacking self-control. Fortunately, this 

stigma is changing. In 2018, Governor Chris 

Sununu authorized the New Hampshire Board 

of Nursing (NHBON) to establish an alternative 

recovery monitoring program. The New Hampshire 

Professionals Health Program (NHPHP) was 

tasked in July 2019 to carry this out. The NHPHP 

encourages self-reporting of drug misuse, including 

alcohol, and referral to treatment with monitored 

recovery that continues when a nurse returns to 

duty. Self-reporting along with a leave of absence 

is a voluntary, non-punitive option that protects 

patients by establishing the addiction treatment 

impaired providers need while potentially 

preserving licenses. The NHPHP provides free 

education and resources to institutions and 

organizations. Although the NHPHP does not offer 

treatment, they provide assessments, treatment 

referrals, ongoing support, and monitoring. 

Engagement in NHPHP lasts three to five years 

and can include random drug testing, stopping 

work until cleared, and attending peer support 

groups. The Office of Professional Licensure Annual 

Report stated that for Fiscal Year 2019, the NHBON 

received 179 complaints, of which 37 were related


to diversion of medication, impairment, alcohol, 

and other drugs. For Fiscal Year 2020, the NHBON 

received 310 complaints; however, the data for 

categorizing and tallying the complaints was not 

listed on the OPLC Annual Report or captured by 

the NHBON (L. Courtney, personal communication, 

January 22, 2021). The NHPHP is currently 

monitoring 23 nurses and four Licensed Nursing 

Assistants known to the NHBON, and they also 

have four nurses under voluntary monitoring that 

are unknown to the NHBON (S. Garhart, personal 

communication, November 9, 2020). 

Diverting controlled substances is a tactic that 

healthcare providers with SUD sometimes employ. 

Communication, interventions, and programs for 

people in crisis or who misuse substances are not 

benign. In the past, impairment and diversion were 

often met with only discriminatory and punitive 

practices where the process of being worked up 

for SUD in the workplace or licensure board led to 

bad outcomes. The thought of losing one’s license 

and means of making a living, not having money 

for treatment, medications, or legal fees can be 

devastating. The result is individuals do not seek 

help. This alienates colleagues, co-workers, and/or 

work supervisors whou could assist the individual, 

by connecting them to a non-punitive pathway 

of self-reporting and treatment options through 

the NHPHP. Workplace policies can outline these 

non-punitive pathways. Today, we can empower 

our nursing workforce to self-report rather than 

gamble with broadly administered discipline once 

misconduct is reported or risk patient harm. Much 

time, energy, and money go into shaping highquality 

providers, as the healthcare workers’ 

shortage exemplifies. Access to quality treatment 

for nurses and healthcare workers who struggle with 

SUD needs to be readily available to protect the 

public, the families of the providers, and hopefully, 

allow for a return to safe practice. 

The appropriate treatment level for someone with 

SUD may include residential care or intensive 

outpatient therapy; an extended monitoring 

program follows both. In a meta-analysis, Geuijen 

et al. (2021) found that monitoring programs, like 

NHPHP, demonstrated pooled success rates of 72% 

for abstinence and 77% for work retention. Much 

less is known about those who have fallen through 

the cracks or were lost to suicide. Organizations 

that successfully incorporate recovered nurses 

foster support rather than stigma, provide exemplars 

who have overcome addiction, and better detect 

undiagnosed addictions, improving workforce 

quality (Parsa, 2011). Stigma and lack of awareness 

may result in the underutilization of alternative to 

discipline programs like the NHPHP. Preserving 

professional viability by facilitating treatment and 

reducing discipline benefits the healthcare system 

and the public. 

Does your organization have a comprehensive 

program that speaks to suspicion of impairment and 

diversion? Is there routine education of all providers 

on the clinical presentation of SUD and resources 

to approach it? If not, there are resources to 

develop and institute a process for safely addressing 

situations. A milieu can be established where 

nurses know that facing seemingly unbearable 

personal or professional challenges can happen 

and that seeking support is the right thing to do. 

There is hope. Those suffering from SUD are not 

alone; they can get help and arrive in a better 

place. As with many diseases, the sooner signs and 

symptoms are addressed, the more opportunity 

there is to circumvent catastrophic consequences. 

You can spread the word that addiction benefits 

from treatment, notice and address concerning 

behavior in your family, friends, and colleagues, 

and support the alternative to discipline approaches 

for concerns related to alcohol and other drugs. 

Ensure that your team and our nursing workforce 

understand that NHPHP is confidential and ready 

to support practitioners experiencing various 

difficulties, including SUD (nhphp.org). National 

resources include the Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration’s national helpline 

(1-800-662-HELP), Narcotics Anonymous (na. 

org), Alcoholics Anonymous (aa.org), and the 

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273- 

8255). Because patient safety is a priority, we as a 

community can better protect patients, preserve 

careers, and save lives when the risks of SUD in 

healthcare providers are addressed early. 

Kisha Thompson MS, CRNA, is a per-diem Nurse 

Anesthetist at Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, 

NH. She is a Board Trustee for the New Hampshire 

Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. She is also a 

State Peer Advisor for the American Association of 

Nurse Anesthesiology. As such, she is available to 

provide support and information for those engaged 

in substance misuse. Her past education includes 

a Bachelor of Science degree from Johns Hopkins 

University and a Master of Science degree from 

Georgetown University. Additionally, she retired, at 

the rank of major, from the Army Reserve. 

I have no conflicts of interest nor any commercial 

affiliation. 

Contact Info: 

Kisha Thompson MS, CRNA 

Kisha.lifgren@gmail.com 

914-260-2218 

References 

Cornwall, L. (2018, December 12). RNnetwork 2018 

Portrait of a Modern Nurse Survey. RNnetwork. 

https://rnnetwork.com/blog/rnnetwork-2018-portraitof-a-modern-nurse-survey/ 

Davidson, J. E., Proudfoot, J., Lee, K., Terterian, G., 

& Zisook, S. (2020). A longitudinal analysis of 

nurse suicide in the united states (2005-2016) 

with recommendations for action. Worldviews on 

NHNA Student Nurse of the Year 

Sara Fazzi Garcia 

The NHNA Commission on Nursing Practice hosts 

an annual graduating student nurse conference at 

which time we award the NH Student Nurse of the 

Year Award. Commission members have identified 

five qualities that should be exemplified by the 

professional nurse these include: Professionalism 

(Competence and Qualities), Patient Advocacy, 

Leadership, and Involvement in Nursing/Community 

ANA Enterprise. This year’s award winner was Sara 

Fazzi Garcia, a second year Direct Entry Master’s 

Student from the University of New Hampshire. Sara 

was nominated by her advisor Pamela Kallmerten, 

RN, DNP, PHD. The nomination narrative included 

the following: 

Ms. Fazzi Garcia entered the Direct Entry Master's 

in Nursing (DEMN) program with a previous degree 

in Fashion Technology and from the beginning, it 

was clear that she had made the right decision for 

nursing. While she has had faculty report that she 

needs support for caring for her patients through 

psychomotor skills due to the disparate competencies 

between her previous program of study and nursing, 

there is never any doubt for her caring about her 

patients well-being. She constantly nurtures those 

in her care in the professional as well as informal 

Evidence-Based Nursing, 17(1), 6-15. https://doi. 

org/10.1111/wvn.12419 

DuPont, R. L., & Merlo, L. J. (2018). Physician health 

programs: A model for treating substance use 

disorders. Judges' Journal, 57(1), 32-35. 

Geuijen, P. M., van den Broek, S. J. M., Dijkstra, B. A. 

G., Kuppens, J. M., de Haan, H. A., de Jong, C. A. 

J., Schene, A. H., Atsma, F., & Schellekens, A. F. A. 

(2021). Success Rates of Monitoring for Healthcare 

Professionals with a Substance Use Disorder: A 

Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(2). 

https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10020264 

Mumba, M. N., & Kraemer, K. R. (2019). Substance use 

disorders among nurses in medical-surgical, longterm 

care, and outpatient services. MEDSURG 

Nursing, 28(2), 87-118. 

Parsa, N. (2011). Reasons to Hire Recovered Physicians. 

Physician Executive, 37(4), 58-61. 

Stone, L., Rice, J., & Garcia, R. (2021). Addressing 

substance use disorder and diversion in the 

healthcare environment. American Nurse Journal, 16 

(2). https://www.myamericannurse.com/addressingsubstance-use-disorder-and-diversion-in-thehealthcare-environment/ 

Sutherland, S. (2017, February 28). Portrait of a modern 

nurse survey finds half of nurses consider leaving the 

profession. RNnetwork. https://rnnetwork.com/blog/ 

rnnetwork-nurse-survey/ 

Wright, E. L., McGuiness, T., Moneyham, L. D., 

Schumacher, J. E., Zwerling, A., & Stullenbarger, N. 

E. N. (2012). Opioid abuse among nurse anesthetists 

and anesthesiologists. AANA Journal, 80(2), 120-128. 

caregiver roles. She is an authentic listener and 

manages to care for her family, their friends, her 

peers and her patients. 

The ideal nurse has an appreciation for the skills for 

entry into practice and she (Sara) is competent in this 

regard. She reflects in the moment as well as after the 

moment has passed-the ability to reflect in action and 

on action. She verbalizes "how could I have improved 

my care?" She goes beyond what is competent 

to what is exemplary practice during a time of 

compassion fatigue. It is clear that the tenets of 

diversity, equity and inclusion are woven throughout 

her practice. It is clearly demonstrated with her 

actions that her sense of social justice and health 

equity are foremost in her mind. She has an uncanny 

ability to stop everything and ask "what really matters 

here" and is not afraid to let things go to prioritize 

the needs of the vulnerable person whether it be a 

patient, their family or someone from her personal 

encounters. She is always a nurse, demonstrating that 

she sees her role as their advocate. 

She is an authentic, humble leader who will do 

doubt continue to represent the best of nursing 

during these challenging times. Like her peers, 

she has had many opportunities for community 

based care including vaccination clinics. She was 

also recently inducted into the Eta Iota At Large 

Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. She is a 

certified lactation consultation and is leveraging 

this knowledge for a quality improvement project to 

support the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative at her 

organization. She was invited to apply to become 

a member of the organizational team before midsemester 

of her immersion. It is my belief that they 

recognize her potential as I do for a life-long career 

in service to her community. 

Like her peers, she has had many opportunities for 

community based care including vaccination clinics. 

She was also recently inducted into the Eta Iota At 

Large Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International. She 

is a certified lactation consultation and is leveraging 

this knowledge for a quality improvement project to 

support the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative at her 

organization. She was invited to apply to become 

a member of the organizational team before midsemester 

of her immersion. It is my belief (Dr. 

Kallmerten) that they recognize her potential as I do 

for a life-long career in service to her community. 

CONGRATULATIONS SARA


Giving Care: A Strategic Plan to Expand and Support 

New Hampshire’s Health Care Workforce 

Executive Summary—March 2022 

Prior to the pandemic, New Hampshire was second 

among states hardest hit by labor shortages overall. 1 In 

2019, New Hampshire employed an average of 94,100 

workers in its health care and social assistance industry. 2 

The industry’s average growth of 1.6 percent between 

2017 and 2019 outpaced that of the state’s workforce 

overall, which grew an average of one percent during the 

same time period. 2 In addition to being the fastest growing 

industry, the health care sector had the most unfilled jobs. 3 

The pandemic exacerbated both the need for and strain 

on health care personnel. In the Granite State, burnout 

led to staff losses across the health care spectrum, 

but especially in nursing homes, home health, and 

community care settings. 4 In its November 2021 letter to 

the Governor and Commissioners of the New Hampshire 

Departments of Health and Human Services and Business 

and Economic Affairs, the Health Care Workforce 

Coalition explained that “the difficulty to recruit, retain, 

and fully staff facilities and programs is seriously impinging 

on patients’ access to care and deepening financial stress 

for our state’s health care providers.” 5 The aging of the 

state’s primary care provider workforce also complicates 

recruitment and retention; 24% of its nurse practitioners 

and 27% of its primary care providers are over age 60. 6,7 

As well, New Hampshire is projected to be 10th among 

U.S. states with the most severe nursing shortages. 8 

According to the Health Care Workforce Coalition, 

such shortages exist across the health care spectrum, 

including all provider types and those providing other 

vital support functions. 9 Ensuring an adequate supply 

of qualified workers is essential to meet the needs of 

the state’s aging residents and its increasingly diverse 

population. Given its size and rate of growth, the 

strength of the health care sector is critical to New 

Hampshire’s overall economy. 10 

While the bench of health care workers is simply not deep 

enough, it also lacks sufficient diversity to address the 

needs of the state’s increasingly diverse population. The 

workforce is also impacted by: 

• Stress, mental health, and barriers to care. Health 

care workers have endured heightened stress due 

to risks the pandemic posed to their own health, 

caring for critically ill patients, too few resources, 

and a constantly evolving understanding of the virus, 

prevention measures, and treatment options. Workers 

experiencing mental health issues experienced the 

challenges that face the general population, namely 

stigma and problems accessing care. 

• Low wages and high costs to live in New 

Hampshire. Many health care workers in low-paid 

entry-level and support positions that put them 

at risk for exposure to COVID-19 were forced to 

work multiple jobs to make ends meet while others 

transferred to other industries for more money and 

less risk. Low wages also make it difficult for health 

care employers to compete with employers in other 

states and other professions. Health care workers 

struggle to afford a range of necessities to live in 

New Hampshire, including quality and affordable 

housing, transportation, and childcare, all issues that 

should be addressed by public policy. 

• A thin pipeline and barriers to post-secondary 

education and training. Too few potential workers 

have an interest in or adequate understanding of 

the range of roles available within health care. 

Investment in efforts to diversify the workforce, 

including outreach and marketing, have been 

insufficient. The high cost of education poses a 

barrier to entry and advancement in health care 

roles. Too few training and education opportunities 

exist (e.g., apprenticeships, post-secondary 

programs, clinical placements), as well as too few 

supervisors to train health care workers. There 

is poor alignment of existing education/ training 

programs with workforce shortages. Employers lack 

capacity to ensure an adequate pipeline of workers 

for their organizations. Competition for employees 

creates a barrier to collaboration among health care 

organizations to share best practices and address 

their common workforce challenges. 

...the strength of the health 

care sector ıs critical to New 

Hampshire's overall economy. 

• Reimbursement issues. Low reimbursement rates; 

lack of reimbursement for critical services; and a 

lack of parity for mental health services affect the 

wages employers can offer and their ability to recruit 

and retain workers, as well as the ability of health 

care workers to make ends meet. By rewarding 

procedures and quantity over outcomes and quality, 

current reimbursement structures do not incentivize 

coordination and integration of care, practices that 

are essential to quality outcomes. By pressuring 

providers to maximize the number of patients they 

see, the current structure adds to provider stress 

and discourages their participation in professional 

development opportunities and providing clinical 

placements and supervision. 

• Regulatory barriers and constraints. Complying with 

burdensome regulations and documentation means 

providers have less time to spend with patients and 

presents additional barriers to attracting and retaining 

staff. Licensing and credentialing processes and 

requirements discourage qualified professionals from 

seeking employment in New Hampshire and cause 

major delays in being able to recruit, on-board, and bill 

for services provided by new employees, particularly 

those from other states. 

• Policy barriers. Multiple policy-related challenges 

exist. Insufficient funding for the state’s community 

college and university systems, health care 

apprenticeship programs, and help to relieve students 

of education-related debt impede the ability to 

train an adequate number of workers. Government 

employment policies, such as prohibiting the filling of 

positions until vacancies exist, cause delays in hiring 

and create gaps in staffing. Temporary policy and 

regulatory changes that supported telehealth during the 

pandemic should be made permanent. 

• Siloed workforce development efforts. While many 

initiatives exist within the state to bolster the health 

care workforce, they are largely siloed and lack 

coordination. 

• Data challenges. Data on the health care workforce 

are collected by multiple entities in varying ways. No 

central repository exists. Thus, it is difficult to know 

which data exist and where they can be found. Data 

can be hard to access, interpret, and use to inform 

policy and planning. There is a lack of common 

vocabulary and definitions, an insufficient level 

of detail, and too few data scientists to assist with 

understanding and interpreting data. 

Beginning in 2020, given the current and anticipated impact 

of workforce shortages on the health of the population and 

the state’s economic well-being, the Forward Fund at the 

Endowment for Health prioritized the creation of an actionoriented 

state plan for health care workforce development. 

SAVE SENIOR CARE FROM 

Paid for by the 

New Hampshire Health Care Association


The assessment phase engaged over 50 stakeholders 

and led to a shared understanding of workforce needs 

and activities across the state. Thereafter, in a series of 

facilitated meetings, a diverse group of over 60 stakeholders 

participated in four workgroups to develop the plan’s 

goals, objectives, and strategies. The plan, intended for 

implementation within two years, includes 107 strategies 

to address the pipeline, recruitment, and retention needs 

facing the state; critical policy and regulatory issues; and 

data needs, and provides a mechanism for coordination 

and governance of workforce development efforts. 

The strategic plan is intended for multiple (sector) 

audiences, including state government, legislators, the 

health care industry/employers, health and behavioral 

health professional associations, health insurance/ payers, 

educators and trainers of health care personnel and those 

that contribute to the pipeline of health care workers (e.g., 

high schools, vocational/technical schools, community 

colleges, universities, employer- based training programs, 

Area Health Education Centers), advocacy groups/ 

organizations, the business community (i.e., private 

industry, both associated with health care and not), and 

philanthropy. To learn more about the strategies and how 

you can support health care workforce development in 

New Hampshire, please contact the Endowment info@ 

endowmentforhealth.org. 

The Vision 

The New Hampshire health care workforce is 

strong and diverse due to factors that include 

competitive, equitable wages commensurate 

with experience, training, education and an 

environment that supports diversity, quality care 

and continuous professional growth. As a result, 

community outcomes are improved and patients, 

clients, and the workforce are engaged and healthy. 

1 Dean, Grace. (2021). Nebraska, New Hampshire, and 

Vermont are states struggling hardest to fill jobs in the US 

labor shortage, new research suggests. Business Insider 

(September 24). https://www.businessinsider.com/laborshortage-dc-nebraska-new-hampshire-vermont-jobshawaii-employment-2021-9 

2 New Hampshire Economic Conditions. (2021). Temporary 

Staffing in New Hampshire’s Health Care Industry. 

(September). https://www.nhes.nh.gov/elmi/products/ 

documents/ec-0921-article.pdf 

3 Presentation by Brian Gottlob to the Foundation for 

Healthy Communities, Concord, NH, June 2021. 

4 Wagner, E., Amin, K., Cox, C. & Hughes-Cromwick, P. 

(2021). Health Spending: What Impact has the Corona 

Virus had on Health Employment. Peterson/ Kaiser 

Family Foundation Health System Tracker. (December 

10). https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chartcollection/what-impact-has-the-coronavirus-pandemichad-on-healthcare-employment/ 

5 November 2021 Health care Workforce Coalition 

letter available at: http://dupontgroup.com/covid-19- 

resources/workforce-letter/ 

6 Nurse Practitioner Data available at: https:// 

dashboard.nh.gov/t/DHHS/views/2018- 

19APRNWorkforceDataReport/ Demographics?%3Aiid 

=1&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aembed 

=y 

7 Primary Care Physician Data available at: https:// 

dashboard. nh.gov/t/DHHS/views/2019PhysicianWorkf 

Nursing Career Path 

At Amedisys, we build on skills throughout 

our careers and provide opportunities for 

growth with ongoing training and support. 

Join our family and see how you can step into 

a new role and make a difference today! 

Learn more at amedisys.com/careers. 

THINK OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL 

orceDataReport/ Demographics?%3Aiid=1&%3AisGues 

tRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aembed=y 

8 University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. (2021). 

The 2021 American Nursing Shortage: A Data Study. 

Online Blog Post. (May). https://www.usa.edu/blog/ 

nursing- shortage/ 

9 https://www.nhproviders.org/new-hampshire-health-careworkforce-coalition 

10 Institute on Assets and Social Policy, The Heller School 

for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. 

(2014). Strengthening New Hampshire’s Health Care 

Workforce: Strategies for Employers and Workforce 

Development Leaders. (December). https://heller. 

brandeis.edu/iere/pdfs/jobs/NH-health-care-workforce. 

pdf 

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who qualify including health, 

dental, life, 401k with employer 

match, disability, prepaid 

legal, referral & longevity 

incentives, generous PTO plan, 

professional development 

reimbursements and more! 

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Please apply online at 

www.websteratrye.com


IN MEMORY OF OUR COLLEAGUES 

The New Hampshire Nurses Association honors the 

memory of and acknowledges the practice of deceased 

nurses who have graduated from New Hampshire 

nursing schools or who have actively practiced in New 

Hampshire during her career. Sharing their names and 

information about their career is one way we honor 

their contribution to the profession. Brief submissions 

are welcome. 

Viet Nam Vet 

Madeline Ann Blidberg, 82, died on 

December 14, 2021. She attended Mary 

Hitchcock School of Nursing in 

Hanover, NH where she received her 

RN and Boston University where she 

received her BSN. She later attended the 

Frontier School of Nursing in KY and 

became a midwife. She joined the Army 

and was a Viet Nam War veteran and 

also served in Germany and several 

places in the United States. She retired 

from the Army Reserves as a Lt. Colonel. 

She was a Labor and Delivery room nurse at the Elliot 

Hospital in Manchester for more than 35 years. 

Madeline was a private pilot and was licensed in both 

single and twin-engine aircraft. 

Concord Hospital Grad 

Sandra Rae (Palmer) Rhodes, passed 

away on January 29, 2022. She 

graduated from the Concord Hospital 

School of Nursing with the class of 1960. 

She practiced as a pediatric nurse at 

Concord Hospital, then at the NH State 

Hospital. She also practiced as a school 

nurse, a private nurse and visiting nurse. 

When her children entered school, she returned to full 

time nursing at Concord Urology until her retirement. 

School Nurse 

Carol Ann (Walsh) Edmunds, 78, Florida 

passed away on February 8, 2022, in 

Florida. She practiced at the Barrington, 

NH District School many years as a 

school nurse and retired in 2002. 

Psych Nurse 

Winona (Witham) Blake, 84, died on 

February 9, 2022. A Plymouth native, 

she obtained a Bachelor of Science in 

Nursing in 1959 and went on to attain a 

master’s degree in Adult Psychiatric 

Nursing in 1978, both from Boston 

University. She started her nursing career 

at Memorial Hospital in Nashua, NH, as 

an obstetrics nurse and a teacher for incoming nurses. 

She later moved to being a head nurse at Head Start in 

Nashua, NH. She became a Certified Psychiatric Nurse 

Clinical Specialist and continued her work in 

Massachusetts in mental health. 

OR Nurse 

M. Beryle Johnston, 90, passed away 

February 11, 2022. She obtained a 

nursing diploma in 1953 from the New 

England Deaconess School of Nursing in 

Boston. She practiced at Mary Hitchcock 

Memorial Hospital in the Fall of 1953, 

progressively working her way up in the 

Surgical Department of the Operating 

Room, from a Surgical "Scrub" Nurse and retiring in the 

Spring of 1989 as a Surgical Buyer. 

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School Nurse 

Jeanne (Bonenfant) Descoteaux, 90, 

passed away on February 18, 2022. A 

Manchester native she obtained a 

nursing diploma from the Notre Dame 

Hospital School of Nursing and later 

earned a degree in Psychology from 

New England College. She practiced at 

Notre Dame and then the Allenstown 

School system as a school nurse for over 20 years. She 

also volunteered her time as a nurse for the Pine Haven 

Boys School and for the Community Action Program. 

VA Nurse 

Jean C. Acton, 92, died on February 19, 

2022. She obtained her nursing diploma 

in Massachusetts in 1951 and moved to 

Manchester in 1962. She had a 32-year 

nursing career at the VA Medical Center 

in Manchester where she was, among 

other roles, the nursing supervisor for the 

busy medical/surgical floor. 

Moore General Grad 

Ann Rebecca (Shirley) Toll, 87, died on 

February 21, 2022. A Manchester native, 

she obtained her nursing diploma from 

the Moore General Hospital in 

Goffstown, in 1955. 

Care Management Nurse 

Patricia "Pat" A. (Guercio) Davis, 74, 

passed away March 2, 2022. She earned 

her LPN in 1967 and practiced at 

Memorial Hospital (now Southern NH 

Medical Center). She continued her 

career at the Matthew Thornton Health 

Plan, the First HMO in NH, which was 

acquired by Dartmouth-Hitchcock 

Clinic, where she headed the Care Management 

Department, retiring after 25 years. While at 

Dartmouth, Pat obtained an associate degree as an RN 

from Rivier College. 

Notre Dame Grad 

Helene Claudette Tremblay, 85, died on 

March 4, 2022, in North Carolina. A 

Manchester native she obtained a nursing 

diploma in 1957 from the Notre Dame 

Hospital School of Nursing. She later 

earned a Bachelor of Science from the 

State University of New York-Oneonta. 

She retired from nursing in 2004. 

Concord Nurse 

Noreen Margaret (Teehan) Falzone, 62, 

died unexpectedly March 6, 2022. She 

obtained a BSN from Salem State 

University in 1981. As a nurse for over 

40 years, she practiced as a VNA nurse, 

school nurse at Pittsfield High, and triage 

nurse for Concord Hospital. 

St. Joes Nurse 

Lorraine T. (Maxfield) Duval, 90, 

passed away March 9, 2022. She was a 

graduate of the St. Joseph Hospital 

School of Nursing in Nashua. She had a 

lengthy career as a registered nurse at 

the St. Joseph Hospital. 

Nurse Entrepreneur 

Bernadine (Blasczak) Herron, 80, 

passed away March 9, 2022. She 

obtained a nursing diploma in West 

Virginia and practiced at the Elliot 

Hospital. Later she went on to become a 

co-founder of Herron and Smith medical 

equipment and services company in 

Hooksett, N.H. 

Community Nurse 

Shirley Jean (Jasper) Stockwell, 87, died 

March 15, 2022. She received a B. A. in 

Nursing from Worcester State College. 

She retired from Community Health and 

Hospice of Laconia, NH. 

Psych Nurse 

Gero Nurse 

Virginia I. (Jones) Williams, 91, died 

March 16, 2022. She obtained a nursing 

diploma in 1952 and a BS in Psychology 

in 1955, both in Pennsylvania. After 

moving to New Hampshire, she 

practiced as a substance abuse nurse at 

Seminole Point in Sunapee and Catholic 

Medical Center in Manchester. 

Cheryl Ann (Roberts) True, 65, died 

unexpectedly on March 19, 2022. As a 

RN she practiced at Rochester Manor, 

Goodwin's, Langdon Place of Exeter, and 

Webster at Rye. 

Concord Nurse 

Madeline (Finley) Morgan, 93, died 

March 24, 2022. She obtained a nursing 

diploma from the Margaret Pillsbury 

School of Nursing in Concord. 

Madeline's career spanned over 30 years 

as Registered Nurse and caregiver at 

Concord Hospital. 

Rivier Grad 

Lisa (King) Lull, 68, died March 27, 

2022. She obtained her nursing diploma 

in Boston and earned her bachelor’s 

degree from Rivier University. She 

practiced at the New London Hospital, 

Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, 

Kearsarge Regional Elementary School in 

New London and Woodcrest Village. 

Concord Nurse 

Joan E. (Glidden) Doucette, 75 passed 

away on March 27, 2022. She practiced 

as a registered nurse for over 41 years at 

Concord Hospital. 

Goffstown Nurse 

Elaine (Colby) Emerton, 94, passed 

away on April 1, 2022. She obtained her 

nursing diploma in Massachusetts and 

practiced at Concord Hospital, Moore 

General Hospital, and the Lemire 

Nursing Home in Goffstown. After her 

nursing career, Elaine worked for the 

Town of Goffstown for over 20 years, 

first as the Deputy Town Clerk and then was elected as 

the Town Clerk until her retirement. 

NHTI Grad 

Jo-Ann E. (Lyons) Nolan, 59, passed 

away on April 7, 2022. She was a 1997 

nursing graduate of the NHTI. She 

practiced for 22 years at Lakes Regional 

General Hospital and then the Laconia 

Clinic until her breast cancer diagnosis. 

Med-Surg Nurse 

Sally A. (Crowell) LaBarre, 87, passed 

away on April 7, 2022. She was a 

graduate of the Mary Hitchcock 

Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. 

She practiced in orthopedics at Mary 

Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, for six 

months. She then transferred to the 

former Elliot Community Hospital (now 

Cheshire Medical Center) in Keene, taking a position as


IN MEMORY OF OUR COLLEAGUES 

Head Nurse in the Medical-Surgical area, leading to the 

role of Night Supervisor. She was instrumental in 

developing and heading up the Elliot Hospital's first 

post-anesthesia recovery unit in 1958. Sally transitioned 

to the clinic setting, working for 34 years as a 

Registered Nurse at the Keene Clinic, now Dartmouth 

Hitchcock Clinic in Keene. She spent her last 28 years 

as a urology nurse working alongside Dr. Arthur 

Cohen. She retired in 1998. 

Barbara Anne (Connor) French 

Notre Dame Grad 

Gabrielle ‘Gaby’ L. (Pratte) Drouin, 93, 

passed away on April 14, 2022. She 

graduated from the Notre Dame 

Hospital School of Nursing with her 

nursing diploma in 1949. She enjoyed 

going out regularly with the 

"Nightingales," her fellow retired RNs. 


Frances (Catoggio) Parrott, 83, passed 

away on April 17, 2022. She practiced 

for many years at the St. Joseph Hospital 

in Nashua. 


Lois D. (Mowrey) Velcheck, 80, passed 

away on April 18, 2022. She practiced in 

the delivery room, as an elementary 

school nurse and then an orthopedic 

nurse for many years for St. Joseph's 

Hospital in Nashua before retiring in 

2005. 

Psych Nurse 

CMC Nurse 

Janice I. Smith, 79, passed away April 

22, 2022. She practiced as a RN at the 

NH State Hospital for many years. 

Dorothy J. (Feeney) McCarthy, 84, died 

April 23, 2022. She obtained her nursing 

diploma in Maine in 1958 and practiced at 

Catholic Medical Center, Lakeshore 

Hospital, and VNA Hospice. Following her 

retirement, she dedicated her time and 

talents to volunteering for the Catholic 

Medical Center Parish Nurse Program. 

State Representative 

Barbara Anne (Connor) French, 

95, died on April 16, 2022. A New 

Hampshire native, she obtained a BS in 

biology from UNH in 1947. She went on 

to Cornell University, affiliated with the 

New York Hospital School of Nursing, 

and obtained a BSN in 1950. She first 

practiced as an RN at the NH State 

Hospital, as a head nurse and nursing 

instructor for the School of Nursing. She 

went on to practice as a child welfare 

social worker for the State of New 

Hampshire Department of Welfare and 

drug education consultant at the New Hampshire 

Department of Education. In 1963 she began a 

lengthy career as a school nurse serving the Concord 

School District for over 35 years with 15 years spent 

at the Rundlett Junior High School. In 1967 she 

obtained a Master’s in Education from Mount St Mary 

College in Hooksett. 

During her years as a school nurse, Barbara served 

as a member of the National Association of School 

Nurses (NASN). In 1968, she was the first secretary 

for the just formed NASN. In appreciation of her 

service to the children of New Hampshire, she was 

the recipient of the NHNSA School Nurse of the 

Year Award in 1990. Today, the NHSNA recognizes 

important contributions to school nursing by 

presenting the Barbara French Award. 

Barbara was active in her hometown 

politics of Henniker, New Hampshire. 

She was a member of the Henniker 

Planning Board as well as a member 

and chair of the Henniker Democratic 

Committee. She was elected to her first 

term in the New Hampshire House of 

Representatives in the 1992, representing 

Merrimack, District 5. Though defeated 

in the 1994 election she ran for office 

again, and served as representative from 

1996 to 2010, and from 2012 to 2016. 

Representative French served for ten 

elected terms, a total of 20 years. While 

in the legislature she served on numerous committees 

including the NH Women's Lobby Board of Directors 

and was a member of Advocates for Women and 

Families and the Children's Caucus. 

She became a member of the New Hampshire 

Nurses Association upon her graduation from Cornell 

and RN licensure in 1963, a membership she held 

continuously. She was active in NHNA’s Commission 

on Government Affairs attending and frequently 

speaking during nurse legislative day programs. 

She never forgot her roots as a school nurse and 

combined her legislative talents focusing on the health 

needs of children and their families. In honor of her 

achievements the policy and practice arena nurses of 

New Hampshire recognized French as the 1998 New 

Hampshire Nurses' Association Legislator of the Year. 

Lifelong Learner 

Donna Louise (Carvalho) Moody, 76, 

passed away on April 26, 2022, in 

Vermont. She worked in various 

settings as an LPN for 15 years. In 

1982, she graduated from the NHTI in 

Concord having earned an associate 

degree and her RN. She practiced for 

42 years in active nursing working in 

Med/Surg, ICU, Home Health Care, and Hospice. 

After leaving the Wonderful World of Nursing, 

Donna earned a BA in 2011, a MA in 2013 and her 

PhD in 2016 in Anthropology from UMass Amherst. 

Donna taught at UMass Amherst as a Graduate 

Student and most recently at Franklin Pierce 

University. Donna worked tirelessly for 20 years with 

local, State, and Federal entities as the Repatriation 

Coordinator for the Abenaki Nation. Those efforts 

culminated in the return and reburial of over 200 

Abenaki Ancestors 

Exeter Nurse 

Sandra ‘Sandy’ (MacDougall) Cross, 83, 

passed away on April 27, 2022. She 

obtained her nursing diploma from 

Boston City Hospital and went on to 

obtain a BSN from UNH. She practiced at 

Exeter Hospital, for many years, as an RN 

in the OR, and eventually working at 

Eventide Home as an administrator for 30 

years, assisting the Elderly, where she retired in 2003. 

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New Hampshire Nursing News - June 2022

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