FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center

Celebrates National Nurse's and Hospital Week

Nurse of the Year Recognized for Excellence

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL -Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (PBGMC) recently celebrated National Nurse's Week and National Hospital Week. The festivities included an awards ceremony to recognize nurses for excellence in the field.

For a third year, the hospital memorialized one of its long standing nurses who passed away by naming the Nurse of the Year in her honor. The Linda B. Watson Nurse of the Year Award was presented to Louise Ditmer, RN, CNOR, RNFA. She has been a nurse at PBGMC for 22 years and works in the surgery department. She was nominated by her peers and selected as the winner by the nurse award committee.

Nominees had to meet the following requirements:

• Inspire others to follow
• Excellent attendance
• Positive attitude
• Excellent follow-thru
• Respond to needs in a timely manner
• Clinical knowledge
• Able to answer questions about the condition of the patient at all times
• Excellent skills
• Strive for continuous professional development

"Louise certainly embodies all the qualities required for this award," said Gerri DeStefano, Director of Nursing at PBGMC. "Her peers have described her as a committed and caring nurse who is an excellent teacher and role model to those in the nursing profession. Her records show that she has a near perfect attendance record, regularly participates in community events and has volunteered to be on many hospital committees. We are very proud to honor Louise with this award."

Recognized by HealthGrades as one of "America's 50 Best Hospitals" for the third year in a row, PBGMC is a 199-bed acute care hospital serving the medical and health care needs of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast for more than 40 years. PBGMC offers a broad range of services, including open-heart and comprehensive cardiac care, orthopedics, diagnostic imaging, general surgery, outpatient surgery and 24-hour emergency care. The hospital has also received recognitionfrom HealthGrades as a Distinguished Hospital for Patient Safety and Clinical Excellence. For more information or physician referral, please call 561-625-5070 or visit the website at www.pbgmc.com.

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