ANULI A. ERIKE, BSN, RN, PRESENTED WITH2012 NASSAU-SUFFOLK HOSPITAL COUNCIL NURSING EXCELLENCE AWARD
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2012
PRESS CONTACT:
Shelley Lotenberg
shelley@numc.edu
516-572-6055
ANULI A. ERIKE, BSN, RN, PRESENTED WITH
2012 NASSAU-SUFFOLK HOSPITAL COUNCIL NURSING EXCELLENCE AWARD
EAST MEADOW, NY….Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the NuHealth System, proudly announces that Anuli A. Erike, BSN, RN, nurse in the bariatric unit at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC), has been presented with the 2012 Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council Nursing Excellence Award.
“Congratulations to Ms. Erike on being the winner of the 2012 Nurse of Excellence Award recipient, an extraordinary honor for an ultimate professional who strives to excel in everything that she does, providing the highest level of quality care for all her patients. Her commitment and compassion to our patients and their families are exemplary, making her an asset to NUMC and to the nursing profession,” stated Gianelli. “Her dedication and selflessness embody the very best of nursing and she is a great role model for young professionals in the nursing field.”
According to Kevin Dahill, President/CEO of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, “Nurses are the true champions of our hospitals and our local communities, too. Anuli’s compassion for her patients and her clinical nursing expertise are unmatched.”
The Hospital Council maintains this recognition program because the registered nurse is truly the core of any hospital. Ms. Erike was selected for achieving significant accomplishments in her area of practice in the bariatric unit, for her community outreach to diabetic young adults in Freeport and Nigeria, for serving as a mentor and inspiring staff, for providing assistance to patients and for fostering a positive image of nursing.
At the reception held at the Woodbury Country Club on May 23, 2012, Kathy Skarka, MSN, RN, CAN, NuHealth’s senior vice president/CNO, congratulated Ms. Erike during the award presentation: “I am honored to have the privilege to work with Ms. Erike, a nursing professional, who’s extraordinary and admirable effort is demonstrated each and every day towards her patients. I am proud to have her represent the NuHealth nursing department as the recipient of this year’s Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council Nursing Excellence Award.”
After completing a bachelor’s degree in public health from SUNY Old Westbury, Ms. Erike went on to complete a BSN in nursing from Drexel University and began her nursing career in a skilled nursing facility. She joined NUMC in 2010 as a staff nurse on the orthopedic/bariatric floor. She was instrumental in the bariatric unit’s designation as Bariatric Center of Excellence. Because of her experience caring for patients in the bariatric unit, Ms. Erike became passionate about preventive diabetes and lowering its prevalence, particularly among adolescents. She discovered that the rate of Type 2 diabetes in her community of Freeport exceeded the state and national averages. She formed an initiative targeted at adolescents and young adults that included innovative nutrition and lifestyle education in order to empower youth and instill in them the tools to fight this silent epidemic. Working with the mayor of Freeport, she has developed public service health segments that air on local television. She recently took her initiative to Nigeria through a self-funded two week trip where she worked as a volunteer in a hospital.
Ms. Erike’s own words best describe why she is the 2012 Nurse of excellence Award winner: “I realized that giving back was something that I never want to stop doing.”
Photo left to right: Kathy Skarka, NuHealth’s CNO and Anuli Erike, RN
ABOUT NUHEALTH
NuHealth is a Long Island health care organization delivering essential medical care and disease and lifestyle management to everyone at every stage of life. Also known as Nassau Health Care Corporation, NuHealth is a public benefit corporation managing the operations of Nassau Medical Center, A. Holly Patterson Extended Care and a network of Family Health Centers that bring primary and specialty care out into the community. By emphasizing wellness, cultural sensitivity and collaborative efforts with the North Shore-LIJ Health System, NuHealth is working to make good care more affordable and easier to access.
For more information about NuHealth or its Centers of Care, visit www.nuhealth.net.