Donna Dessau Named Hoag's 2019 Nurse of the Year

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 2, 2019 — Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced today that Donna Dessau, MSN, FNP-C, RNC-OB, an OBGYN Nurse Practitioner and Labor and Delivery Nurse, is the hospital’s 2019 Nurse of the Year.

A true role model and mentor, Donna was selected as Nurse of the Year for her clinical excellence, her role as a teacher to her fellow nurses and for her strong patient advocacy. Donna is constantly striving to bring the latest evidence-based practices to the Labor & Delivery unit, such as the implementation of her “Move It Momma” project to increase ambulation in early labor. She was also a grateful recipient of a Hoag nursing scholarship to pursue her master’s degree funded by Hoag’s generous donor community.

“Donna is beloved by patients, nurses and physicians alike for her positive attitude and graceful demeanor,” said Tiffany Stewart, director of Labor and Delivery at Hoag. “She always has her patients’ best interests at heart and goes above and beyond to educate them on the care that is being administered.”

Working for the last decade at Hoag, Donna is respected for her commitment to all aspects of nursing education and excellence. Additionally, Donna shares her compassionate heart by leading the Perinatal Loss Committee. Passionate about perinatal loss and how families are supported through the difficult process after the loss of an infant, Donna leads the education efforts for staff, as well as organizing the annual Perinatal Loss Memorial.

“We are honored to recognize Donna Dessau as our Nurse of the Year,” said Rick Martin, Ed.D, MSN, RN, senior vice president, clinical operations and chief nursing officer of Hoag. “Donna is a true representative of our incredible team of RNs at Hoag who deliver exceptional care with compassion on a daily basis.”

With extraordinary support from Julia and George Argyros, who established the Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence at Hoag, Hoag nurses are earning scholarships in record numbers. Donor investment in nursing education helps Hoag fulfill its commitment to develop, attract and retain the best and brightest nurses seeking the highest level of education.

ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN

Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 450,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to eight health centers and 11 urgent care centers. Hoag is a designated Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the 2018 – 2019 U.S. News & World Report, and Becker’s Healthcare named Hoag as one of the 2018 “100 Great Hospitals in America” – a designation Hoag has received five times. For an unprecedented 23 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.

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