East Yonkers Kiwanis Club to Recognize Nurses from Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center & Coleman School

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. - April 29, 2014 - PRLog -- On Thursday, May 1, 2014, Elizabeth Almanzar, R.N., a nurse at the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, and Blanca Rodriguez, R.N., a nurse at the John A. Coleman School, will be recognized as recipients of the 2014 East Yonkers Kiwanis Club Nurse Recognition Award during a ceremony that will be held at the Riverview in Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.

Elizabeth Almanzar has been a nurse at the Pediatric Center for 13 years and she specializes in pediatric long-term care, pulmonology and caring for ventilator-assisted pediatric patients. In fact, Almanzar was one of the first nurses to be trained and assigned as a primary care nurse to medically complex ventilator-dependent children when the Pediatric Center first launched its Pediatric Long-Term Ventilator Care Program (the first of its kind in the State) back in 2006.

According to Judith Bianca, R.N., B.S.N, M.P.H, the Pediatric Center’s Chief Nursing Officer, “Through her work and interactions, Ms. Almanzar exemplifies the characteristics of the ideal palliative care provider. She is able to identify and address the comfort needs of her patients, their families and her colleagues in a timely and highly effective manner.” Gregory Kraus, M.D., F.A.A.P., attending physician at the Pediatric Center, echoed Bianca’s sentiments. “Elizabeth is my eyes and ears and I have come to trust her judgment implicitly. I know that the parents of her patients always sleep better knowing that their children are under her care.”

Blanca Rodriguez has worked as a nurse at the Yonkers campus of the John A. Coleman School for 14 years. Rodriguez specializes in caring for children with complex medical needs and ventilator-assisted pediatric patients. She provides skilled nursing services and highly specialized care to approximately 115 students daily who have complex medical diagnoses, including, but not limited to: metabolic and respiratory disorders, genetic syndromes, neurological diseases, traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, congenital heart disease and seizure disorders.

Sharon Herl, Principal of the Yonkers campus of the John A. Coleman School said, “Ms. Rodriguez is kind and gentle with the children. She prepares them for procedures by speaking to them in a soft and reassuring tone, making eye contact and providing a gentle touch to decrease their anxiety.” Herl also noted that Rodriquez does whatever she can to help integrate our medically complex children into the community. “Ms. Rodriguez actively embraces these challenges to ensure that our students have the same opportunities and experiences as their typically developing peers. It is awe-inspiring to see her provide nursing care while on a bus, at a park and even at a museum.”

About the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center

The Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center is a not-for-profit, pediatric specialty nursing facility, serving children from infancy through age 21, who are among the most medically complex children in New York State. The Pediatric Center, which is a 137-bed and 165,000-square-foot complex located in Yonkers, just celebrated its 25th year of service. This state-of-the-art, child-centered building is the only LEED Gold certified “green” pediatric facility in the country. Children come to us with serious medical and neurological challenges including, but not limited to: premature birth complications; cerebral palsy; congenital heart disease; chronic lung disease; chromosome, metabolic and respiratory disorders; muscular and neurological diseases; and immunodeficiency syndromes. We provide comprehensive healthcare, rehabilitation and special education services to all our residents. Learn more about the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center at setonpediatric.org and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/setonpediatric.

About the John A. Coleman School

The John A. Coleman School, with campuses in White Plains and Yonkers, provides community and center-based special education and therapeutic programs to children from birth to 21 years of age from over 50 school districts in Westchester, Putnam, the Bronx and Manhattan. The Yonkers Campus serves the residents of the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center, a nationally recognized pediatric long term care facility. The Coleman School has been recognized for the last six years as a School of Excellence by the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET) and is regionally known for its comprehensive evaluation component, early intervention services and inclusive nursery school, Children’s Place. The Coleman School serves over 900 children and their families.  Learn more about the John A. Coleman School at setonpediatric.org/john-coleman-school and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/jacschool.