The Palm Health Foundation hosted its sixth annual Heart of Gold Nursing Reception on Thursday, May 9 at the Quail Ridge Country Club to honor the extraordinary work of local nurses and recognize Palm Beach County’s 2019 Nurses of the Year. The event concluded the foundation’s four-week “Thank a Nurse” campaign, sponsored by Tenet Health and Vitas Healthcare.
Two nurses from the local area were named as Palm Health Foundation 2019 Nurses of the Year: Florence Tousasaint-Bellegarde of Wellington and Crystal Miller of Loxahatchee.
Tousasaint-Bellegarde is a Vitas Healthcare case manager with an innate ability to accurately assess the needs of her hospice patients and deliver the most appropriate care in their time of need. She also volunteers for mission trips and community health events.
Miller is a compassionate hospice nurse and true care leader who empowers patients and colleagues alike as the RN Care Leader at Trustbridge. She is driven by her love of people and the desire to deliver high quality patient care. When she is not at work, she volunteers to promote community wellness and healthy lifestyles.
More than 300 guests attended the Heart of Gold reception sponsored by the Law Offices of Craig Goldenfarb, Trustbridge, the Christine E. Lynn and the E.M. Lynn Foundation, the Academy for Nursing and Health Occupations, Lynda Harris Home Health RN and Palm Beach Atlantic University.
The master of ceremonies was Roxanne Stein. Thirteen nurses were honored, representing all regions of Palm Beach County and a wide variety of nursing disciplines, including oncology, Alzheimer’s care, hospice and pediatrics, as well as nursing educators.
Proceeds raised from the Heart of Gold event and the Thank a Nurse campaign will benefit nursing scholarships in Palm Beach County. The Palm Health Foundation has granted $3 million in nursing scholarships to more than 1,000 nursing students for advanced education to provide quality nursing care to Palm Beach County residents.
“Nurses are often the unsung heroes of our healthcare system,” said Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of the Palm Health Foundation. “Our Thank a Nurse campaign and Heart of Gold reception gives us a chance to share their stories of care and compassion and honor their tireless contributions to our community.”
