Shelton Nurse Bridgeport Hospital Employee of the Year

Nearly 400 employees were recognized for achieving service milestones of five to 45 years during Bridgeport Hospital’s annual Joseph E. Janell Employee Recognition Dinner May 14 at the Waterview in Monroe. Critical Care Resource Support Unit nurse Shawna Hall of Shelton was named the hospital’s outstanding employee of the year for her excellent service to patients and colleagues, and Surgical Intensive Care Unit nurse Kathy Bellucci of Seymour received the George B. & Alice P. Longstreth Humanness Award for her compassionate patient care. Hall has been a hospital employee since 1988. She was previously the hospital’s August 2012 Employee of the Month. She serves as chair of the Staff Nurse Council and is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She also received a 2013 regional Nightingale Award for nursing excellence. “When one thinks of Shawna, what comes to mind is a smile that warms the hearts of others, her can-do approach and her dedication to patients,” said Gini Neglia, Director of Cardiovascular Services and the Stroke Center, who also oversees the Critical Care Resource Support Unit. “Shawna is recognized for her compassionate care, wealth of knowledge and her willingness to go above and beyond for others. She has a way of putting patients and families at ease during stressful moments.” Bellucci joined the hospital in 1992. Quoting her nominators, Bridgeport Hospital Foundation President Steve Jakab said, “Kathy is the kind of nurse you want to care for your family. She has a natural calming effect that is very comforting to patients and their families. Her nursing knowledge and expertise are second to none.” Hospital President and CEO Bill Jennings, serving as master of ceremonies at the dinner, welcomed and thanked employees. Messages of thanks and congratulations were also expressed by Board of Directors Chair Meredith Reuben and Medical Staff President Peter Tortora, MD. “You are Bridgeport Hospital,” Chief Operating Officer Norm Roth told employees. “Each and every one of you should be proud of everything you do to make us better every day.” The 425-bed Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health System, was established in 1878 and is Fairfield County’s longest operating hospital. The hospital has 2,500 employees and an attending medical staff of more than 600 physicians. It had 19,000 patient admissions during the past year and received more than 230,000 outpatient visits.