22 Students Graduate From White Plains Hospital’s Richard P. Biondi Nurse Apprentice Program

White Plains, NY – Twenty-two local high school and college students today graduated from White Plains Hospital’s unique Richard P. Biondi Nurse Apprentice Program during a ceremony that celebrated the program’s success. The students were recognized for completing an intensive, seven-week nurse apprenticeship at the Hospital during the summer.

Hospital officials announced proudly at the ceremony that by the end of 2011, 32 of the 69 students who have gone through the program will be full-time nurses at White Plains Hospital. This program was created six years ago to address the nursing shortage in the face of an aging population.

Jon B. Schandler, Hospital President and CEO, said: “The Richard P. Biondi Nurse Apprentice Program creates a meaningful experience that has turned into a true career path for these young people. With the job market unstable and the nursing shortage increasing, we are pleased to have created a program that shepherds people through this process that, for many of our students, results in a fulfilling and lasting job. I congratulate this year’s graduates and will enjoy seeing some of them on our staff.”

This year’s apprentices are:
• Kimberly Arcilla, Yonkers,NY ,College of Mt. St. Vincent

• Camille Bailey, Pelham, NY ,Pace University

• Lauren Brancucci,,Dobbs Ferry, NY, College of New Rochelle

• Fanette Ceus, Elmsford, NY, Maria Regina HS

• Samantha Deluca, Elmsford, NY,College of Mt. St. Vincent

• Marina DiMattia, Yorktown Heights, NY Salisbury University, Md.

• Nicholas Forlini, Yonkers, NY College of Mt. St. Vincent

• Lakeisha Hall, White Plains,NY Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus

• Nisha Kurian, White Plains, NY, NY Institute of Technology

• Casey Lorusso, Ridgefield, Ct. Scranton University

• Laura Lynch, Pallisades, NY, Dominican College

• Tamika Lumsden, New Windsor, NY PACE University

• Carly Macken, North White Plains, NY, SUNY Plattsburgh

• Kelly Mendello, Peekskill, NY, LIU, Brooklyn Campus

• Alex Rivera, White Plains, NY , College of New Rochelle

• Angelica Rivera, White Plains, NY, New York University

• Marisa Rosario, White Plains, NY, College of Mt. St. Vincent

• Sasha Gay Scott, Jamaica, NY, PACE University

• Taryn Spiegel, Rye Brook, NY , College of Charleston

• Nicole Strauss, Bronx, NY, SUNY Buffalo

• Denise Sullivan, Pelham, NY, Westchester Community College

• Lily Wells, Rye, NY, Michigan University

During the rigorous full-time, five days per week schedule, the apprentices experienced working in clinical areas in the Hospital including pediatrics, emergency department, endoscopy, post-anesthesia care unit, ICU step-down, labor and delivery, maternal-child, medical-surgical, oncology and neonatal intensive care. They are also asked to perform a number of supervised tasks such as answering call bells, taking vital signs, assisting patients with meals, assisting nurses as needed and sitting with patients, reading to them and keeping them company. The students also receive instruction from members of the nursing staff on different topics such as patient safety, infection control, and general patient care.

Named after the late Richard P. Biondi who was a Senior Vice President of White Plains Hospital and was instrumental in leading fundraising initiatives on its behalf, the nurse apprentice program is coordinated by Annie Norris, M.S. and Monica Purdy, M.A., R.N., who direct the community outreach program at local schools and screen, select, evaluate and oversee the apprentices. It was initially made possible by a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, and program funding from White Plains Hospital. Representative Nita M. Lowey (D-NY18) was instrumental in securing the federal grant.

Contact Information:


Caroline Lewittes
Thompson & Bender
(914) 762-1900
caroline@thompson-bender.com

About White Plains Hospital

White Plains Hospital (WPH) is a 292-bed voluntary, not-for-profit health care organization with the primary mission of offering high quality, acute health care and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Dickstein Cancer Treatment Center, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center, The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center and The Westchester Orthopedic Institute. The Hospital has the busiest Emergency Department in Westchester County, treating nearly 50,000 patients a year. White Plains Hospital is the only hospital in Westchester County licensed to perform emergency & elective angioplasty. The Hospital is a nine-time winner of the Consumer Choice Award, an honor given to the nation’s top hospitals by the National Research Corporation. WPH is a member of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and the Stellaris Health Network, Inc. For additional information, visit http://www.wphospital.org.

Dawn French
White Plains Hospital
41 East Pond Road
White Plains, NY 10601
(914) 681-2380
dfrench@wphospital.org

This release was published on openPR.