Press Conference for the Mississippi Nurses Foundation to award $48,000 in stipends/scholarships to deserving registered nurses and nursing students. Stipend funds were raised through the State of Mississippi Nurses Car Tag Program-Nurses Touch Lives and awarded to registered nurses and nursing students enrolled in an accredited Associate, Baccalaureate, Masters or Doctoral Nursing Program in Mississippi. Eight applicants, out of 38, will receive the scholarship during the ceremony.

WHO:

Hosted by the Mississippi Nurses Foundation

WHEN AND WHERE:

Health Management Associates-Mississippi Division
Funds Hand Washing Project for 2009-10

The Mississippi Nurses Foundation was awarded $25,000 from Health Management Associates (HMA)-Mississippi Division to sponsor a statewide High Five hand washing program for the 2009-10 school year.

Health Management Associates $25,000 sponsorship will allow the MS Nurses Foundation to provide hand washing supplies and materials to elementary schools throughout the state.

The goals of the High Five Hand Washing Program are as follows:

1. Teach hand washing to children in order for them to be healthier and develop a lifelong health habit;

2. Reduce the number of absentees for the school, which increases funding for the school;

3. Collect data that will show a significant reduction of absentees related to communicable illness

The following school nurses will implement the Hand Washing Program in Mississippi Elementary Schools for 2009-2010:

• Jennifer Elliott, RN-Bogue Chitto School, Bogue Chitto, MS
• Cathy Pippin, RN-East Flora Elementary/Jr. High Flora, MS
• Michelle Ellison, RN-Madison Station Elementary, Madison, MS
• Tami Armstrong, RN-Della Davidson Elementary, Oxford, MS
• Cyndee Nash, RN-Redwood Elementary,Vicksburg, MS
• Catherine Jobe, RN-Beachwood Elementary, Vicksburg, MS
• Renee Richardson, RN-Enterprise Attendance Center, Brookhaven, MS
• Susan Sharpe, RN-Harrison County School, Ocean Springs, MS
• Millie Wright, RN-Hayes Cooper Center, Cleveland, MS
• Jennifer Brents, RN-Houlka Attendance Center, Houlka, MS
• Robin Hull, RN-Northeast Elementary, Meridian, MS
• Renee Gurley, RN-Oxford Elementary, Oxford, MS
• Millie Renfroe, RN-Pearl Upper Elementary, Pearl, MS
• Kathy Jones, RN-Ruleville Central Elementary, Ruleville, MS
• Faye Welch, RN-Winona Elementary, Winona, MS
• Jennifer Brents, RN-Houlka Attendance Center, Houlka, MS
• Becky Beasley,RN-New Augusta Elementary, New Augusta, MS
• Rebecca Clarke, RN-Jefferson Middle School, Columbia, MS
• Lynette Kilpatrick, RN, Neshoba Central Elementary, Philadelphia, MS
• Darlene Moore, RN, Issac T. Montgomery Elementary, Mound Bayou

The Mississippi Nurses Foundation will implement additional handwashing programs starting in August 2010.  If you would like  information regarding this project, please call (601) 898-0850.

Nearly 200 nurses and cancer survivors were in attendance to celebrate life and the care that nurses provide to patients.

Maggie Wade served as the Mistress of Ceremony as we honored eight cancer survivors and ten nurses.

The cancer survivors and nurses are as follows:

Cancer Survivors

Margie Divinity,RN

Byron Tatum

Frank Rhea

Sydney Gholar

Cathy Landrigan

Kaden Conway

Rosemary McRae

A.D. Chatmon

Nurses Honored

Kimberly Cain,RN

Pam Walsh,RN

Amy Kelly,RN

Lori Miles,RN

Jennifer Varner,RN

April Wogoman,RN

Stacy Jackson,RN

Madalyn Conner,RN

Tonya Mosley,RN

Brenda Smoot,RN

Thanks to all our sponsors for helping to make this event a success.

Gold Sponsors

Delta State University-Robert E. Smith School of Nursing

Silver Sponsors

Central Mississippi Medical Center

Mississippi Nurses Association-District 13

University of Mississippi Medical Center

Steve Zachow, MD (Radiation Onology of Mississippi, P.A.

Bronze Sponsors

BancorpSouth

Central Mississippi Onology Nursing Society

Mississippi Baptist Health Systems

My Brother’s Keeper, Inc.

Friends of Nursing Sponsors

Eric Balfour, MD (Radiation Onology of Mississippi, P.A.

Bank of Morton

Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC

Dr. Barbara Craft, Dr. Lucio Miele, & Anna Marie Barnes

Ralph H. Didlake, MD (Vascular Access Services

Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses, District IV

Gayle P. Harrell, LLC

Janet Harris, RN, MSN

Infusion Partners

Madison Fitness and Childcare Center

Mississippi Rural Health Association

Newman Dental Care. LLC

Odyssey Healthcare

Regions Bank

TempStaff

Theta Beta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau

University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing

University Physicians-Internal Medicine

Thank you to our floral supporters and silent auction donors.

A special thank you to Soiree Event Planning and the wonderful steering committee for your dedication to the success of the event.

If you would like to learn more about Surviving with Style and Dancing with the Nurses, please contact the Mississippi Nurses Foundation at 601.898.0850.

Congratulations to all our nominees and Nightingale Awards recipients for your contribution to nursing and how you continue to touch the lives of citizens of Mississippi.

Thank you to all of our sponsors for making the 2010 Nightingale Awards a success.

2010 Platinum Sponsors

Baptist Memorial Health Care

HMA-Health Management Associates

North Mississippi Medical Center

St. Dominic’s Health Services

The Clarion Ledger

University of Mississippi Medical Center

2010 Gold Sponsors 

Friends of Baptist Nurses

George Bell Rug Cleaning

Greenwood Leflore Hospital

2010 Silver Sponsors

Arthur L. Davis Publishing Agency, Inc.

Baptist Health System

Mississippi College School of Nursing

Mississippi Hospital Association

MNA District 13, including Hinds, Madison, Rankins and Yazoo counties

Public Health Accreditation Board

 University Physician, Department of Pediatrics

The University of Southern Mississippi School of Nursing

The Mississippi State Department of Health-Office of Rural Health

The Mississippi State Department of Health Office of Rural Health awarded a $10,000 grant to the Mississippi Nurses Foundation. The project, “Rural Health Nurse Recruitment” will focus on developing activities to increase the number of health care professionals practicing in rural commuities. The program will include presentations to inform nursing students, hospital nursing staff and high school students about nursing career ladders and education/training incentive programs (loan repayment and scholarships) with a focus on encouraging careers in rural areas. The project will be coordinated by a nurse practitioner or a graduate level nursing student.

The Mississippi State Department of Health-Office of Tobacco Control

The Mississippi State Department of Health Office of Tobacco Control awarded a $99,683 grant to the Mississippi Nurses Foundation to collaborate with Schools of Nursing to survey nursing students on their preception and general belief of tobacco use and tobacco cessation and the need for a comprehensive statewide smoke-free law.

The Foundation will develop activities to educate nursing students enrolled in Mississippi Schools of Nursing about tobacco prevention and control to ensure they are empowered to educate and influence their future patients.

To learn more about the Mississippi Nurses Foundation grants and projects, please call 601.898.0850.