Valley Hospital Nurse receives March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award

The March of Dimes New Jersey chapter is pleased to announce that Union City resident Lauren Piech from The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood received the 2015 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award in the Rising Star category.

Through Nurse of the Year Awards, the March of Dimes recognizes nurses who demonstrate exceptional patient care, compassion, and service. Whether serving as a health care provider, educator, researcher, or chapter volunteer/advisor, these nurses have played a critical role in improving the health of New Jersey’s mothers and babies. Nurse of the Year Awards celebrate the nursing profession and creates awareness of the recent strides made in this growing field.

Lauren Piech is a Registered Nurse in Nursing Informatics/Oncology at The Valley Hospital. Through her Aspiring Leader program, she created a customized discharge instructions form for oncology patients and as a co-team leader for the Patient Care Services and Bedside Medication Verification team (for the electronic medical record upgrade) she had the opportunity to recommend and implement numerous changes to increase patient safety and staff satisfaction. She was nominated for The Valley Hospital’s Nurse of the Year and the National Magnet’s Nurse of the Year representing the Valley Hospital.

“We could not do the work of the March of Dimes without the passion and commitment of our nurses. This is our opportunity to show them how special they truly are,” said Allie Hall, Central Division Executive Director, New Jersey Chapter of the March of Dimes.

More than 196 nurses were nominated in 19 different award categories. New Jersey award recipients were announced at a special awards gala held on November 18, 2015 at Pines Manor in Edison, which had a record attendance of over 500 people. At the event there were 115 finalists which represented 48 hospitals and healthcare facilities. The event raised over $90,000 to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.