Hudson Valley Magazine recently celebrated several members of the Mount Saint Mary College community for their excellent Nursing skills and their contributions to the community during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In an article about essential workers of the Hudson Valley, the magazine highlights the good work of Elaine Suderio-Tirone, assistant professor of Nursing at the Mount; and Shannon Christiano, a 2020 alumna of the college. The article can be found here: https://hvmag.com/coronavirus-covid-19-hudson-valley/essential-workers-hudson-valley/
Inspired by news stories detailing the shortage of personal protection equipment during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Suderio-Tirone, her brother, and her sister-in-law sewed and donated more than 3,000 cloth masks to medical professionals and others in need. In addition to long shifts each week treating COVID-19 patients at a local hospital, a typical day for Suderio-Tirone and her family was to sew from 7 a.m. up to 3 a.m. the following day. They kept this grueling pace up for weeks.
"It's good to know that we are able to provide masks and help, in some degree, to slow down the spread of the virus and protect the community," she explained.
Suderio-Tirone was named one of the area's COVID Healthcare Heroes by the Dutchess County Medical Society in July, in recognition of her selfless work to save lives. Formerly a nurse at Vassar Brothers Medical Center, she now works for MidHudson Regional Hospital, where she and her family recently painted cheerful murals on the walls of the pediatrics unit.
Christiano was training in the Mount's Nursing program when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Throughout the early months of the pandemic, Christiano worked in the emergency room at Mather Hospital as a nursing assistant. Every day presented new and unpredictable challenges, but also new opportunities to become a better nurse.
"We will all come out of this stronger than ever," she said. "This situation is forcing everyone in healthcare to be flexible and open to learning new things."
Christiano, who served as president of the Mount's Student Nurses' Association, recently received two awards for her outstanding achievements during her time as an undergraduate student: the AMA NY Future Nurse Leader Award and a Senior Class Award for Outstanding Leadership. She now works at North Shore University Hospital.
In addition, 2010 Mount graduate Marissa Tamburi, a registered nurse at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, received a Nursing Excellence Award from Hudson Valley Magazine. Tamburi was one of 20 people to receive the award this year, chosen from a pool of about 80 nominees. A video of the virtual award ceremony can be found here: https://hvmag.com/excellence-in-nursing-homepage/