Greenwich Hospital Celebrates National Nurses Week

Greenwich, CT – As part of its National Nurses Week celebration, Greenwich Hospital presented Patricia Szechtman, RN, with the Helen Meehan Award for Excellence in Nursing at the hospital’s annual Ceremony for Excellence in Nursing.

Well known by her peers as a “hospice angel” and a “model of hard work and dedication,” Szechtman has taken exceptional care of patients in the Greenwich community for more than 40 years. The Greenwich resident has been known to stay at a patient’s home for hours to be sure that medications are delivered and administered to dying patients. The Helen Meehan Award was established in 1989 in honor of Helen Kirschbaum Meehan, RN, a devoted professional whose career at Greenwich Hospital spanned 53 years. The award is given each year to a nurse who demonstrates excellence in nursing practice, teaching and leadership.

Norman Roth, Greenwich Hospital president, hosted the celebration presiding over two additional awards. Herbert Archer, MD, a hospitalist who lives in New Fairfield, was presented with the “Physician Partner in Care Award” in honor of his compassionate bedside manner with patients and their families. Derby resident Frank Dechane, coordinator of the Sterile Processing Department, received the Partner in Care Award, for exceeding standards of excellence when for patient safety and quality.

Susan Brown, RN, chief nursing officer and executive vice president of operations and patient care services at Greenwich Hospital, congratulated all the nominees. Said Brown, “This week, in particular, we celebrate our nurses, who, as Sara Moss-Wolfe said, ‘are one of the few blessings of being ill.’ I am honored to be able to recognize the accomplishments of our nurses who give their all to our patients and their families each and every day.” 

Pat Szechtman, RN, winner of the Helen Meehan Award for Excellence in Nursing, flanked by Susan Brown, RN, chief nursing officer and executive vice president of operations and patient care services and Norman Roth, president of Greenwich Hospital.

Herbert Archer, MD, Greenwich Hospital’s “Physician Partner in Care Award” winner, with Spike Lipschutz, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president of the medical staff.

Frank Dechane, coordinator of the Sterile Processing Department and winner of the “Partner in Care Award” with Marc Kosak, senior vice president of administration. 

Greenwich Hospital is a member of Yale New Haven Health. Greenwich is a 206-bed (includes 32 isolettes) community hospital serving lower Fairfield County, Connecticut and Westchester County, New York. It is a academic affiliate of Yale School of Medicine. Since opening in 1903, Greenwich Hospital has evolved into a progressive medical center and teaching institution representing all medical specialties and offering a wide range of medical, surgical, diagnostic and wellness programs. Greenwich Hospital is recognized throughout the healthcare industry as a leader in service and patient satisfaction excellence. Greenwich Hospital has the prestigious Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. www.greenwichhospital.org