Philanthropic donations have helped pay for nursing education for many YNHHS staff members, including Michelle Flores, RN. She celebrated earning her associate’s degree in nursing this past spring with her husband and fellow graduate, Jorge Cuatlatoa Martinez, RN. Flores is a lactation consultant at Yale New Haven Hospital; her husband recently joined a Surgery unit at the Saint Raphael Campus.
Family and friends celebrated with Michelle Flores, RN, when she received her nursing pin during a spring ceremony at Connecticut State Community College Gateway.
There was another family who did not attend the ceremony, but whose support made a “huge difference” in helping Flores achieve her lifelong dream.
Several years ago, the Platt family, inspired by the care a loved one received at Yale New Haven Hospital, made a generous donation to support education in nursing and related fields. The Platt Family Foundation provides scholarships and other financial assistance for employees in nursing school and helps fund a Summer Nursing Symposium for area high school students interested in nursing careers.
“The scholarship made a huge difference while I was in nursing school; it took a big weight off my shoulders,” said Flores, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at YNHH. “Thank you to the Platt Family Foundation for believing in me. Receiving this scholarship truly was very motivating.”
The Platt Family Foundation is among many donors helping Yale New Haven Health nursing staff advance their knowledge and careers. These donations augment the array of education and financial assistance programs YNHHS provides.
“We are fortunate to have donors who are deeply committed to the profession of nursing,” said Ena Williams, RN, PhD, YNHHS chief nurse executive. “Their support not only helps our employees succeed, it improves the health of the patients and communities we serve.”
Bridgeport Hospital and the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation celebrate this support annually with an “Evening of Nursing and Philanthropy.” Nursing staff receive awards – many supported by philanthropic gifts – for their dedication to delivering patient-centered care every day.
Greenwich Hospital donors have assisted with nursing education since the hospital’s founding in 1903. Twelve different funds support staff, including nurses, by covering participation in professional conferences or tuition for employees seeking degrees.
The need for philanthropic support reached a new level of meaning during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, said Noël Appel, Greenwich Hospital’s senior vice president and chief development officer.
“As significant numbers of community members leaned in to support the frontline workforce, education funds became an ideal way to have direct impact on devoted staff and their future professional trajectories,” she said. “These funds propel the careers of the next generation of nurses, providing flexibility for any nurse to expand knowledge and build expertise.”
With professional development comes motivation, according to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital’s Linda Hickey, RN, nurse manager, 5.4 Cardiology/Pediatrics. Philanthropic donations allowed her to attend an American Organization for Nursing Leadership conference in Boston recently.
“Conferences such as these truly reignite your passion for nursing,” Hickey said. “The networking that occurs is incredible because, as we know, it takes a village, especially in this line of work.”
Donations also help nurses “pay it forward.”
Gifts to the Westerly Hospital Nursing Education Fund are helping Antoinette Gears, RN, Critical Care unit, pursue her MSN in nursing education.
“I am often chosen to precept new nurses in my unit, and I have discovered a love of teaching the nursing profession,” she said. “That is what has inspired me to pursue this field.”
The Hollander Family Foundation annually supports nurses throughout Yale New Haven Health through the Marna P. Borgstrom and Peter N. Herbert Advanced Nursing Education Scholarships, named for the former YNHHS CEO and YNHH chief medical officer, respectively.
The foundation established the scholarships 14 years ago in memory of Betty Ruth and Milton Hollander, who were inspired to support YNHH nurses struggling to pursue advanced degrees while raising children and working. The foundation has since expanded the scholarships to other delivery networks, awarding them to 109 nurses across YNHHS since the program’s inception.
Recipient Reynaldo Ines, RN, Greenwich Hospital Cardiac Catheterization Lab, is in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Fairfield University. He is the sole provider for his two daughters.
While he has earned specialty nursing certifications, “I never thought about going back to school until I heard about this scholarship,” Ines said. “Receiving it really motivated me. It’s amazing.”
