Photo by Kendal Bush Southern New Hampshire Medical Center nurse Patricia Roncone is one of two Nashua nurses selected to receive an Excellence in Nursing award at a virtual ceremony Thursday.

MANCHESTER – The 13 nurses statewide selected to receive a New Hampshire Magazine Excellence in Nursing Award for 2020 include two veteran Nashua nurses with a combined 53 years of service.

Patricia Roncone, a maternal-child health nurse at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, and Theresa Calope, a public health nurse with Nashua’s Division of Public Health and Community Services, will join the 11 other honorees at a virtual ceremony to be streamed online from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19.

“Throughout history, and particularly now during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have gone above and beyond for patients and their families,” said Rick Broussard, editor of New Hampshire Magazine. “It is a pleasure to honor this group of remarkable individuals from all around New Hampshire who prioritize the well-being and health of Granite Staters.”

Broussard said the magazine, in partnership with the New Hampshire Nurses Association, launched the Excellence in Nursing Awards in 2018 as a way to “honor the unsung heroes of the state’s healthcare community.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Susan A. Reeves, executive vice president of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and chief nursing executive of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System.

Photo by Kendal Bush Nashua public health nurse Theresa Calope is one of two Nashua nurses selected to receive an Excellence in Nursing award at a virtual ceremony Thursday.

Honorees are from a variety of hospitals, public health agencies and other healthcare facilities, and represent “vital specialties” such as public health, pediatrics and education, according to the magazine.

Sponsors of the annual event include Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, Granite State College, Hornitos and Rivier University.

As it prepares to honor its 2020 recipients, New Hampshire Magazine has begun accepting nominations for the 2021 awards. Anyone wishing to nominate a nurse can do so through Jan. 8 by going to www.nhmagazine.com/excellence-in-nursing-submissions.

Roncone, according to a biography posted by the magazine, has worked in a NICU/Special Care Nursery for 28 years.

As a member of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Unit Based Practice Committee, she has been involved in many initiatives to elevate nursing care standards and to improve outcomes. Roncone recently became a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and is using her knowledge to improve car seat safety education to families in maternal-child health areas.

She is actively engaged in shared governance through her participation in the Unit Based Practice Committee, Nurse Practice Council, Professional Development Committee and Peer Review Committee.

Calope’s biography states she has worked in the nursing field for 25 years, the last 10 of which have been with the city health department.

Calope enjoys having the opportunity to serve the community and improve the overall well-being of individuals through preventative health services, including immunization and STD clinics and lead home visits, according to the biography.

She educates the public about various illnesses and ways to spread awareness and knowledge regarding prevention, a service that has become increasingly important in the time of COVID-19.

Calope works across all Community Health Department programs, such as lead, asthma, communicable disease (including TB, STD, HIV and Hepatitis C), and is also the Immunization Program Coordinator.

The other 11 honorees follow.

* Lisa Lang, ambulatory care nursing, Foundation Medical Partners

* Rachel Ritter, advanced practice registered nurse, Collaborative Anesthesia Partners

* Pamela Laflamme, cardiovascular nursing, Elliot Cardiovascular Consultants, Elliot Health System

* Kelsey Pearl, emergency nursing, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital

* Julie Percy, care coordinator, Gerontologic & Long Term Care Nursing, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Concord Primary Care

* Sharry Keller, palliative care nurse clinician, Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Palliative Medicine Team

* Kelly Snow, resource nurse, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Elliot Hospital

* Alyssa O’Brien, assistant professor, Nurse Educators and Nurse Researchers, University of New Hampshire Department of Nursing

* Julie Reynolds, CEO and nurse leader, Cornerstone Visiting Nurses Association

* Samantha Presby, school nurse, pediatric and school nursing, Lafayette Regional Elementary School

* Kimberly Anick, psychiatric and mental health nursing, New Hampshire Hospital

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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