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Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. Announces Second Annual Commitment to Community Awards

Posted on: Monday, 30 January 2006, 12:00 CST

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- At its recent Healthcare Workforce Partnership meeting, Roy J. Cacciaguida, MD, Patrick A. Heyman, Mary B. Martin Kattan and Ernestine Ziacik were recognized as Palm Healthcare Foundation's (PHF's) 2005 Commitment to Community honorees. Each year the award is presented to individuals who provide outstanding leadership and have made significant contributions to the work of the foundation's Healthcare Workforce Partnership(HWP), which serves as a resource and facilitator to the south Florida region to ensure an adequate supply of highly educated and trained healthcare practitioners and faculty. The HWP also fosters innovation in the study and practice of nursing and other healthcare professions.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060130/FLM023 )

Roy J. Cacciaguida, MD, currently serves on the Palm Healthcare Foundation's Board of Trustees where he co-chairs the PHF Initiatives Committee, is an active member of PHF's Grants Distribution Committee, and is an active fund-raiser for the programs and activities of the foundation. Dr. Cacciaguida is a respected nephrologist in Palm Beach County. In 1975 he developed a renal dialysis unit at St. Mary's Medical Center and served as Medical Director from 1977 - 2002. From 1983 - 1986, Dr. Cacciaguida also served as Chief of Staff at Good Samaritan Medical Center. He remains active in the community and is a tireless advocate for quality accessible medical care for all patients.

Patrick A. Heyman, PhD, is a faculty member at Palm Beach Atlantic University's School of Nursing. He was the first person to graduate from the University of Florida's combined masters/PhD nursing program. Dr. Heyman has been a member of several HWP committees, and currently serves on the Employer Initiatives Committee. He has been instrumental in advancing the committee's work of bringing a centralized nursing student clinical placement system to Palm Beach County. Additionally, he serves as workshop faculty for Palm Healthcare Foundation's Preceptor of Excellence program.

Mary B. Martin Kattan, MS, RN, has worked in nursing education for ten years and is board-certified in staff development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She has been Director of Staff Development at Wellington Regional Medical Center since 2003. Her commitment to the work of the HWP has been extensive. She currently serves on the Employer Initiatives Committee and the PHF Initiatives Committee, and participates in the foundation's Preceptor of Excellence program as a workshop faculty member. Last year, she was the co-chair of the education committee, which planned and implemented continuing education programs for local nurses during Nurses' Week 2005.

Ernestine Ziacik, RN, MS, CPHQ, has a long-standing volunteer relationship with PHF. Ernestine was the founding chair of Palm Healthcare Foundation's Scholarship Committee. She has been a member of the HWP since its inception, and a participant in the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) Breakfast Meetings. She also served as Vice Chair of the successful 2005 Nursing Celebration Dinner held at the Breakers Hotel. Currently, Ernestine is employed by CernerCorporation. Prior to her current position, she was CNO of Bethesda Memorial Hospital for eleven years. While at Bethesda, she was the driving force behind Bethesda's Caring Excellence model.

Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. is an independent community healthcare foundation dedicated to the good health of Palm Beach County. The foundation concentrates its funding on programs that improve access to healthcare and advance nursing practice and education. For more information, please call 561-833-6333 or visit the website at http://www.palmhealthcarefoundation.org/ .

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060130/FLM023AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.

CONTACT: Susan Reymond, SUSAN REYMOND ENT., INC., +1-561-659-1426, orsreymond@bellsouth.net, for Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.

Web site: http://www.palmhealthcarefoundation.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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