Nursing Volunteer Group Nominated for Jefferson Award

A volunteer program for retired nurses that was organized and administered by two School of Nursing faculty has been nominated for the 2013 Jefferson Awards.

Established in 1972 by a group that included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the Jefferson Awards are designed to encourage and recognize community service and have been nicknamed the Nobel Prize for Volunteerism.

The RN+WIN (Retired Nurses Working in Neighborhoods) program was named as one of the 50 regional nominees for this important national award. RN+WIN was created to provide a volunteer staff for the Nursing School’s Nurse Managed Wellness Center (NMWC), a health and wellness program that helps Pittsburgh’s elderly live independently.

A photograph of the RN+WIN volunteers, along with a description of their work, appeared in a Jefferson Awards advertisement in the Sept. 26 issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one of the regional media sponsors for the award.

Dr. Lenore Resick, clinical professor and the Noble J. Dick Endowed Chair in Community Outreach, and Clinical Associate Professor Maureen Leonardo started and have jointly administered the RN+WIN program since its inception in 2006. The program’s success, Resick pointed out, reveals the power of collaboration and cooperation.

The RN+WIN program is one of the principal reasons that the NMWC has been self-sustaining, according to Resick. The program supplies a committed staff of seasoned volunteers who make NMWC services effective and attractive to the underserved older adults. In addition to the invaluable work they provide NMWC clients, the RN+WIN nurses—several of whom are Duquesne alumnae—serve as role models for student nurses, who also help to staff the NMWC.

The Jefferson Awards involve an extensive regional selection process culminating in a national award. Fifty regional nominees will receive the Jefferson Awards Medallion at a reception in Pittsburgh in the spring; then local business leaders will choose six to eight regional finalists for Pittsburgh’s Most Outstanding Volunteer award. The recipient of that award will represent the region at a national Jefferson Awards ceremony in 2014.

For information about the RN+WIN program, call the nursing school at 412.396.5228.