Santhamma Varghese of Schervier Nursing Care Center Receives Prestigious Award for Leadership in Long-Term Care Nursing from LeadingAge

Bon Secours New York Health System’s Schervier Nursing Care Center, specializing in long-term  and rehabilitation care in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, is proud to announce that Santhamma Varghese, RN, has received the prestigious 8th annual “Joan Anne McHugh Nurse of Distinction” award, sponsored by LeadingAge, an association of 6,000 not-for-profit organizations dedicated to making America a better place to grow old. Varghese has been with Schervier for more than 20 years and currently serves as the Clinical Nurse Manager for short-term rehabilitation for Schervier’s orthopedic unit.

The Joan Anne McHugh Nurse of Distinction award recognizes aspiring leaders who provide excellent clinical care to their residents, while demonstrating leadership in long-term nursing and a commitment to the profession.

“Santhamma is an extremely skilled nurse clinician, leading our interdisciplinary care team in monitoring residents’ plan of care from admission to discharge, and wholeheartedly provides compassion and high quality care,” said Olivia Babol-Ibe, Director of Nursing at Schervier. “She takes the time to individually meet with each resident and their families to proactively discuss and create a personalized care plan, based on what is best for each resident’s health and happiness. The unit’s very high resident satisfaction scores and quality indicators are indicative of her dedication and hard work.”

Varghese was nominated by her leaders and peers at Schervier, and then was selected by the award committee as this year’s recipient. She will receive a $1,000 award to be used for professional development opportunities, and will be recognized for her achievement at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO before over 4,000 attendees in Dallas, from October 27 to October 30, 2013. She will also be featured in the November/December issue of the LeadingAge Magazine. 

 “Throughout my more than 30 years as a healthcare professional, I have worked with thousands of practitioners within a variety of disciplines, but without question, Santhamma is among the top one percent and is an exceptional healthcare professional, embodying the ideals and mission of our organization by consistently providing good help to those in need,” added Carlos G. Beato, CEO of BSNY. “She consistently shows a level of dedication above and beyond the scope of her job, and makes the time to advance her career and stay updated with the best nursing practices and trends through seeking a master’s degree in nursing, volunteering for leadership positions within several of our internal projects and initiatives, enrolling in training programs, and training her peers.”

“Nursing is a challenging profession, but it is also incredibly rewarding, and I am so proud to be nominated by my peers and recognized for my dedication in caring for our patients and residents,” said Varghese. “I am excited to have the opportunity to represent Schervier and our nursing program at the LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO, and share our accomplishments with other likeminded nurses and care professionals. I’d like to extend my gratitude to my team, fellow nurses and my Director of Nursing at Bon Secours New York, Olivia Babol-Ibe, for their support and for helping me to achieve this accomplishment. God has secured this award for me.”

Varghese resides in White Plains, N.Y., with her husband and children.

For more information on LeadingAge’s Joan Anne McHugh Nurse of Distinction award, visit http://bit.ly/14W8rMO. To learn more about Schervier and the services it provides, visit http://www.scherviercares.org/ or the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SchervierNursingCareCenter.

About Bon Secours New York Health System

Bon Secours New York Health System is part of Bon Secours Health System Inc., a not-for-profit Catholic health system headquartered in Marriottsville, Md.

Schervier Nursing Care Center is located in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, and is part of Bon Secours New York Health System, whose mission is to bring compassion to health care and to be “good help to those in need.” Bon Secours New York’s mission is carried out through the services and programs of Schervier Nursing Care Center, Schervier Short-Term Rehabilitation in Riverdale, Schervier Respite Care, Schervier Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care, Schervier Home Care, Schervier Cardio/Pulmonary Sub-Acute Care, the Bon Secours Center for Research in Geriatric Care and the Schervier Apartments. Information about Schervier and Bon Secours New York may be obtained from the Admissions Office at 2975 Independence Avenue in Riverdale, by calling (718) 548-1700, and at www.scherviercares.org.