$50K Donation Aimed At Educating 'Backbone' Nurses

RIVERHEAD, NY — Nurses at Peconic Bay Medical Center were recently honored with a donation to help them further their educations and dreams.

Peconic Bay Medical Center announced Wednesday that it had received a $50,000 donation from the Mattituck Lions Club to support the hospital’s Mattituck Lions’ Nursing Education Fund.

The fund empowers Peconic Bay Medical Center nurses to enroll in continuing education programs that can help them move forward in their careers by covering tuition, certifications, and other ancillary expenses, PBMC said.

“Nurses are the backbone of Peconic Bay Medical Center. The Mattituck Lions’ Nursing Education Fund enables us to provide our nurses with extra resources to expand their careers, and, in turn, continue advancing our ability to care for and provide this community with compassionate, high-quality medical care,” said Dr. Amy E. Loeb, executive director of Peconic Bay Medical Center and former chief nursing officer.

She added: “Investing in our nurses is of vital importance as our hospital continues to grow both in size and capabilities. We are grateful to the Mattituck Lions for their continued support and their dedication to empowering this community.”

The grants can be used toward any expenses related to continuing education, from technology and books to tuition and certification costs. There were a total of seven recipients this year, PBMC said.

“It was a great feeling to know that the Lions wanted to invest in us and that they thought we were important enough to give their hard-earned money,” said Peconic Bay Medical Center nurse Terrial Buhner, who received an education fund grant to pursue higher education.

The Mattituck Lions have donated more than $190,000 to PBMC over the past 20 years.

The donations and a partnership with the Peconic Bay Medical Center Foundation team also made it possible to implement the physical fitness curriculum “Project Fit America” in the Mattituck School District, in addition to starting and growing the Nursing Education Fund, PBMC said.

“Peconic Bay Medical Center is our community hospital, and we recognize that our community is better when our hospital has the resources it needs,” said Tim Bialeski, past president and board member of the Mattituck Lions Club. “There are so many barriers in pursuing higher education. The Peconic Bay Medical Center Foundation team understands the present and future needs of our community, and we are thrilled to help support their efforts and vision.”

Since the Mattituck Lions’ Nursing Education Fund was born in 2016, Peconic Bay Medical Center has increased the percentage of nurses who have a bachelor’s degree in nursing from 38 percent to more than 70 percent, PBMC said. With the new donation, PBMC hopes to reach its goal of having 80 percent of its nurses hold higher education degrees.