UofL honors outstanding nurses at 5th annual Nightingale Awards

Eight nurses who have improved the health of Kentuckians, impacted the lives of vulnerable groups and shaped the next generation of nurses have been chosen to receive the fifth annual University of Louisville Florence Nightingale Awards in Nursing.  

Recipients of the 2018 Nightingale Awards include:   Dawn Balcom, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., F.N.P.-C.: A family nurse practitioner at the UofL Division of Infectious Diseases, Balcom has expanded and improved services to vulnerable groups, including Louisville’s refugee population. Balcom specializes in international travel medicine and disease prevention through use of immunization. She also serves as the advanced practice specialist at the UofL International Travel Clinic, where immunization and preventive care is provided to international travelers in Louisville and across Kentucky.   Cathy Bays, Ph.D., A.P.R.N., A.G.N.P.-C.: Bays, a gerontological nurse practitioner with UofL Physicians-Neurology, is an expert in care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders. She has spent the majority of her 30-year career at UofL, including a previous faculty position at the School of Nursing. Bays helped develop Partners in Nursing Education, a collaborative effort of several hospitals that allows nurse educators to pool resources when teaching. She has conducted studies in education and practice areas of neurology nursing, including quality of life for stroke patients.   Amanda Corzine, M.S.N., R.N., S.A.N.E.-A., and Vicki Yazel, B.S.N., R.N., S.A.N.E.-A.: Corzine and Yazel are receiving a joint award for their work at UofL Hospital’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Services, where they have helped hundreds of sexual assault and domestic violence victims in the Louisville area. Corzine, coordinator of SAFE Services, was instrumental in implementing an evidence-based domestic violence screening tool in the UofL Hospital Emergency Department that connects victims to immediate advocacy services. She has grown the office to provide 24-hour availability and new services, including domestic violence forensic exams, the first in Kentucky to provide this. Yazel, assistant coordinator of SAFE Services, has strengthened the hospital’s relationships with law enforcement agencies and is improving human trafficking screening in the emergency department.   Kathy Hager, D.N.P., A.P.R.N., F.N.P.-B.C., C.D.E.: Hager, president of the Kentucky Nurses Association and associate professor at Bellarmine University’s Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences, began her nursing career 46 years ago and has been a nursing educator for a majority of that time. Her career has spanned many areas of health care, including medical-surgical nursing, diabetes care, cancer and end-of-life care. Hager has taught advanced pharmacology and pathophysiology, health policy, program development and population health. She also works as a family nurse practitioner in the Bellarmine University student clinic.   Leslie Scott, Ph.D., A.P.R.N., P.P.C.N.P.-B.C., C.D.E., M.L.D.E.: As a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner, Scott has dedicated her life to helping children manage diabetes by providing care and education to families in Kentucky. Scott is an associate professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and her clinical practice is in the pediatric endocrine clinic at the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center. She volunteers as a nurse at Camp Hendon, a weeklong camp for children with diabetes that encourages them to take control of their condition.   Mark Spivak, M.S.N., R.N., B.C.E.N.: Spivak, patient safety manager at UofL Hospital, led development of a robust plan to combat the opioid epidemic, resulting in hundreds of patients being screened in the emergency department and referred to community substance abuse treatment services. Spivak organized a multidisciplinary group to develop the intervention process, supported by the Kentucky Opioid Response Effort, and secured funding from the state for two full-time social workers based in the emergency department who focus on the intervention.   Renesha Stone, R.N.: Stone is the training, compliance and education supervisor for the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections’ incarceration facilities. She teaches new nurses how to provide care to inmates, many of whom are underserved and grapple with mental illness and addiction. Stone revamped medical training procedures at the department’s facilities to improve patient care and attract and retain employees.   In Memoriam Award   Steve Bolton, a registered nurse at UofL Hospital for more than 25 years who died in 2017, will receive an in memoriam award. Former colleagues and patients remembered Bolton as a meticulous person who loved sharing knowledge and training new nurses. In his honor, UofL Hospital established the Steve Bolton Professional Development Scholarship that awards grants to bedside nurses seeking to expand their knowledge by attending professional conferences.   The winners will be celebrated on Nov. 8 at the Mellwood Art & Entertainment Center, 1860 Mellwood Ave. A reception starts 5:30 p.m. with dinner and the awards program at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person and can be ordered online. Proceeds support the UofL School of Nursing.