Newborn Screening Awareness Pioneer Michele Hall wins the March of Dimes Pediatric Critical Care Nurse of the Year Award

The March of Dimes credits the nursing profession as having played a key role in the success of the organization’s mission and history. Since it’s inception in 1938 the March of Dimes has a tradition of honoring and supporting the efforts of nurses. The Nurse of the Year Gala honors distinguished nurses from throughout the United States. Beginning in 1983 a reception banquet and awards presentation for Nurse of the Year has been held at 20 locations throughout the country.

Michele Hall was chosen to attend the Nurse of the Year event held at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Southern Nevada on November 10, 2012. The theme for this year’s event played off the Oscar Awards, as that is what the night commonly represents to nurses of Southern Nevada. Out of the 23 awards, Michele was named the 2012 Pediatric Critical Care Nurse of the Year. While anyone can nominate a nurse for an award, a committee of volunteers conducts a blinded peer review of the nominees and selects winners in each category.

For the past several years, Michele has served as a key advisor to the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation. She has been a NICU nurse for more than 13 years, along with working at UMC Children’s Hospital for the past 8 years. In addition, Michelle is an active member of the Nevada Genetics Program Focus Group, and recently accepted an invitation to work with a committee targeting addition of Critical Congenital Heart Disease to Nevada’s newborn screening panel.

Michele took on the new position of Newborn Screening Follow-Up Coordinator in May of 2007, which allowed her to focus her time and nursing experience in the area of Newborn Screening. Her work led to her to understand the importance of newborn screening, and to identify the significant changes needed to be made both at her hospital and beyond.

Michele’s mission has been to do everything possible to increase public awareness about newborn screening and to help improve the newborn screening program. One of her amazing accomplishments was convincing the Newborn Channel, shown in hospitals nationwide, to add Newborn Screening to their programming. Interestingly enough, prior to Michelle’s efforts the channel covered nothing about the blood test that has the potential to save a baby from a lifetime of disabilities or possibly death. Her commitment and dedication caught the attention of network executives, which coincided with the production of The Save Babies Through Screening Foundation’s video (One Foot at a Time). As of the summer of 2011, the Newborn Channel began playing a shorter cut of this video.

Michele is an esteemed and valued member of Save Babies Through Screening Foundation Medical Advisor Board, and we are very proud to announce her accomplishments and receipt of the March of Dimes Pediatric Critical Care Nurse of the Year Award. She feels honored to be on the Save Babies Through Screening Foundation team, and has dedicated this award to helping generate awareness for newborn screening.

About Save Babies Through Screening Foundation:

Save Babies Through Screening Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every baby born in America is comprehensively screened for of all conditions detectable by newborn screening, which if detected early and treated promptly, will allow these babies to live normal and productive lives. The Foundation mission includes education, advocacy, and support for newborn screening at all levels. For more information about the organization or pulse-ox screening, contact them using the information below.


CONTACT: Save Babies Through Screening Foundation 
www.savebabies.org
P. O. Box 42197 
Cincinnati, OH 45242 
Toll Free: 1-888-454-3383

Contact Information

Jill Levy-Fisch

President

Save Babies Through Screening Foundation

Contact via E-mail