Maternity Nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center Recognized

Helene Pietrangelo, RN, BSN, a maternity department nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, was recently recognized as a finalist for the Nurse of the Year award by the business publication NJBiz. The recognition honors individuals whose job performance is considered exemplary by patients and peers. Pietrangelo was one of six state-wide finalists for the award. The Healthcare Heroes ceremony brought together more than 1,000 healthcare professionals from the state, with additional awards given for education, innovation and public health.

Nominated by her Lourdes peers, Pietrangelo was recognized for saving a newborn who had a potentially fatal heart problem. The baby was about to be discharged, but the rare, hard-to-detect condition, called Cor triatriatum dexter, was discovered thanks to Pietrangelo listening to her instincts and taking swift action.

“There are no words to express how extremely thankful I am for Helene,” wrote Gisell Cornish, the baby’s mother, in an email to Lourdes after she and her baby were home. "I was told that doctors normally only see this condition by autopsy because it’s that hard to catch. My daughter’s pediatrician and other clinicians have said that she is one heck of a nurse. We agree. My daughter received open heart surgery since she left Lourdes. She is doing well today and we are so grateful for her recovery.”

Patricia Cerveny, RN, CBC, C-EFM, Nurse Manager, Women's and Children's Services at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, is Pietrangelo’s supervisor. She said, “We are very proud of Helene. She is conscientious and caring, as a nurse and as a person. She continually goes above and beyond in caring for her patients, and baby Cornish is a great example of that. I am very grateful to have Helene on our team.”

Caption: Lourdes Mother/Baby nurse Helene Pietrangelo, RN, BSN (center) receives a Nurse of the Year finalist award at the NJBiz Healthcare Heroes ceremony.