Finalist Whitney Howell, Critical Care Category Winner Tom Calabro, and Finalist Shaknequa Pleas at the 2014 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards in Atlanta. ATLANTA (Nov. 1, 2014) – The Georgia Chapter of the March of Dimes honored 16 outstanding Georgia nurses at the 2014 Nurse of the Year Awards. Thomas Calabro, Director of Critical Care Nursing at South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta was one of them, receiving top honors in the Critical Care category. The Nurse of the Year Awards recognizes nurses who demonstrate exceptional patient care, compassion, and service. Whether serving as a health care provider, educator, researcher, or chapter volunteer/advisor, these nurses have played a critical role in improving the health of Georgia’s residents. The event had more than 600 attendees and raised over $160,000, making it one of the top Nurse of the Year events in the country. Awards are given annually in 16 categories. More than 800 nurses were nominated in Georgia and of those, 240 were selected as finalists. SGMC was honored to have three finalists: Whitney Howell (Pediatrics Category), Tom Calabro (Critical Care Category) and Shaknequa Pleas (Oncology Category). “It is always a tremendous honor to be recognized by one’s peers for accomplishments. And while the award bears my name, it is a reflection of the dedication and efforts of an outstanding team of professionals at SGMC,” stated Calabro. “The fact that three employees from SGMC were finalists demonstrates the caliber of professionals we have in our organization.” The award recipients were determined by a distinguished selection committee comprised of health care professionals who screened the nomination forms in a blinded review process. A complete list of finalists is available on the March of Dimes website at: http://www.marchofdimes.org/Georgia. Award recipients were announced at a special awards gala held on Nov. 1 at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta, Buckhead.
