St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital (SLCH) is proud to announce that Deborah Cardish, R.N., B.S.N., IBCLC, Clinical Coordinator of the Birthing Center and Kathleen Sheehan, R.N., were honored at Hudson Valley Magazine’s“Excellence in Nursing” Awards dinner.

Chosen by their peers and the magazine’s editors, Cardish and Sheehan were among the top 20 Registered Nurses in the region chosen for the award. Honored for their contributions to the nursing profession, among other criteria, Cardish and Sheehan both have worked diligently toward enhancing patient care at SLCH.

Debbie Cardish of Walden, a 5-year employee who is the Lactation Coordinator and Clinical Coordinator of Maternal Child Health, is a strong advocate for programs dedicated to mothers and parenting. She established a program that encouraged and supported breast-feeding for new moms. Recently, she led the charge to institute the hospital’s Bereavement Program, a very personal program geared toward respecting and supporting families who have lost a child or infant.

Besides her work in the Emergency Department (ED) and on patient floors, 19-year employee and Wallkill resident, Kathy Sheehan shares her expertise by mentoring new nurses and educating children and their families. She helped lead the hospital’s efforts to launch the Teddy Bear Clinic. Through this interactive experience, children from local elementary schools visit the ED and are encouraged to bring Teddy Bears. Together, students and Teddy Bears venture through the emergency department experience. The goal is to increase awareness of the emergency department and healthy life-style choices, while decreasing stress.