Legacy of Caring AwardWISER would like to extend our CONGRATULATIONS to Margaret ?Maggie? Lattanzio, RN, MSN, CCRN and Darlene Hills RN, BSN, CCRN with UPMC Passavant Hospital, on being awarded the Legacy of Caring Award from the Passavant Hospital Foundation.  Maggie is a Programmatic Nurse Specialist with Cardiovascular Services and Darlene is a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at UPMC Passavant.

The Legacy of Caring Award is presented to recognize special individuals who have made an impact on UPMC Passavant?s history by caring for the patient?s, their families, the physicians and employees, and the community served by UPMC Passavant.

In her position, Maggie spends time with families dealing with critical illnesses of a loved one, and acts as a liaison to the many physicians who may be involved.  Maggie is also a member of the hospital?s Ethics Committee in which she helps set policy and confers on cases.  In Darlene?s position, she not only cares for the most critical of patients, but she is passionate about nursing education and informatics. She is also the co-chair for the hospital?s Interdisciplinary Informatics Council and has presented at the International Society of Simulation.

Ms. Lattanzio is esteemed by her colleagues as a wise thinker who always remain calm in life-threatening situations.  She is a strong advocate for the Race to No Place, benefiting the American Heart Association, and she is the point person for the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE) at UPMC Passavant.  Maggie is responsible for organizing the annual ?Donate Life? event in the institution.  Ms. Hills is active as an ordained deacon in her community and is a member of the New Journey Support Group.

In her spare time, Maggie also functions as the main contact for WISER to coordinate the monthly In-patient Crisis Response System Evaluation (ICRSE) program, otherwise known as mock code at UPMC Passavant.  Additionally, Maggie has created the ICU CRT (Crisis Response Training) program for the critical care staff using simulation activities.  In Darlene?s spare time, she has authored and co-authored several simulation-based courses including the Basic Simulation Critical Care course and Introduction to Moderate Sedation for Nurses – Providing Safe Care.  Both Maggie and Darlene are actively involved in teaching First Five Minute, ACLS, and many other simulation-based courses.

Please join WISER in acknowledging and congratulating Maggie Lattanzio and Darlene Hills for being recognized with the Legacy of Caring Award!