This honor is accorded to only 100 nurses in the Dallas/Fort Worth area each year. The winners are chosen by their peers and patients, and are selected because they most exemplify excellence in the art and science of nursing.
Ms. Haddox is an outstanding professional in her field of nursing. For years, she advocated for the establishment of a Bilirubin Clinic at Denton Regional, recognizing that many indigent newborns in Denton County were unable to be seen in a pediatrician’s office or other clinics 2 weeks following delivery for screening.
Sometimes these delays led to unsafe hyperbilirubinaemia, which if left untreated leads to Kernicterus and irreversible brain damage.
In 2007, Ms. Haddox was instrumental in establishing The BiliClinic which provides a place to conduct this screening 24-48 hours post discharge. Ms. Haddox also wrote and was awarded a grant to ensure care for families in Denton County who are unable to pay for this service.
In addition, she has provided superior leadership on other important initiatives at Denton Regional, including restraint reduction and achieving the “Nurse Friendly Designation”.
Ms. Haddox stated, “It is always amazing to be in the delivery room when a new life comes into the world. However, there is one particular delivery that will always stand out for me. The delivery of a newborn to a young woman who thought she would never be able to have children of her own because she had had a heart transplant several years before and it was just too risky. The moment that little life entered this world it felt like the earth stopped spinning for one brief second. I cried tears of joy with that patient as much as her family did and almost as much as when my own children were born.”
The “Great 100 Nurses” award is unique in that honorees do not have to belong to a particular professional organization or practice in a particular clinical specialty. Criteria for nomination includes leadership, service, acting as a role model, compassion and significant contributions to the community and the profession. In addition, all proceeds from the event will provide funds for scholarship for area nursing students.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center on May 12, 2008. This recognition reminds us of the incredible contributions made by nurses each and every day.
Previous Denton Regional Medical Center recipients of the “Great 100 Nurses” award include: John Shaw, Susan Conn, Cindy Bowles, Diane Ellis, Lera Mace, Dawn Kregel, Janice Meroney, Barbara Moody, and Jayne Thomas.
About Denton Regional
Denton Regional is a 208 bed, full service hospital that serves the growing population of Denton, Wise, Cooke and Montague Counties. Offering the full-spectrum of healthcare including advanced open-heart surgery, oncology and neurosurgery programs, Denton Regional's more than 850 employees and 285 physicians are constantly striving to offer the highest quality service to the north Texas area. Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life. In recognition of this commitment, we strive to deliver high quality, cost effective healthcare in the community we serve. To learn more about this hospital, please visit our website at www.dentonregional.com. For more information, please contact Denton Regional Marketing at 940-384-3251.
Denton Regional is part of the HCA North Texas Division Hospitals which includes 12 hospitals and related health-care entities serving North Texas and surrounding areas. To learn more about the North Texas Division hospitals, visit www.hcanorthtexas.com.
About HCA
The mission of HCA is not only to provide quality health services, but also to be an agent for healing throughout the communities we serve. HCA hospital and facility employees join as caring teams to make a difference in local communities throughout the United States. Above all else, HCA is committed to the care and improvement of human life. Caring for patients is only part of what we do at HCA. We also are dedicated to building stronger, healthier communities through outreach and philanthropy by working in partnership with our employees to serve effective non-profit org.