Nursing students earn Coppage scholarships

DeKalb Medical in Decatur has awarded $27,000 to nursing students through the 2008 Dr. Mark Coppage Scholarship Fund.

The top 2008 award went to Susan Irwin, a University of West Georgia nursing student. First runners-up are Georgia State University students Tiffany Turner and Jenean Gardner. Other recipients are second runners-up Laura Ohienmhen, Georgia State University, and Judy Gachoka, University of West Georgia; third runners-up Erin Bearden, Gordon College, and David Larod Bowen, College of Coastal Georgia; and fourth runners-up Lisa Massey, Brenau University, and Heather Guthrie, Dalton State College of Nursing.

The recipients were cited for demonstrating leadership, compassion, concern for humanity and other qualities.

“This scholarship is given to students not just because they are talented, but because they really care about their patients and want to make a difference in their lives and communities,” said Betty Casetllani, director of the Coppage Scholarship Fund.

The scholarships are funded through private donations to honor Coppage, a DeKalb Medical anesthesiologist who died in a car accident in 1989.

MARINE CORPS PIONEER: Nursing graduates at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah honored Winifred Case Karnosky in November for her contribution to the school’s nursing program. Karnosky is a university benefactor and was one of the first women to enlist in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve after it was formed in 1943.

In the late 1960s, when her husband, Col. Benedict Karnosky, was assigned as commander of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Karnosky served on the board of the USO and took professional and continuing education courses at Armstrong Atlantic State.

She became interested in the nursing program and endowed a scholarship to assist nursing students of merit in 2007.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESIDENCY: Kosha Joshi, a December 2008 graduate of the master of health services administration program at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, has been selected for a yearlong post-graduate administrative residency with Columbus Regional Healthcare System in Columbus.

“Kosha is really making a name for herself in the field of health services administration in the state of Georgia, and her selection for this residency attests to that,” said Joey Crosby, MHSA graduate coordinator.

NURSE OF THE YEAR: Brenda Sumerau, RN, CNOR, of MCGHealth was recently named Perioperative Nurse of the Year by the CSRA Chapter of the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses. A member of the organization for more than 35 years, Sumerau serves on the board of directors for 2008-09.

She joined MCGHealth in 1992 and is a staff nurse in the MCGHealth Medical Center in Augusta. She is certified in operating room nursing and in central sterilization distribution.

PARENTAL APPROVAL: Parents magazine has ranked Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta among the nation’s top 10 pediatric hospitals.

A survey of 75 pediatric hospitals measured survival rates, number of complex procedures performed, research studies, staff qualifications, safeguards to prevent medical errors and more. To come up with the rankings, the magazine crunched the numbers and evaluated the survey responses.

The survey collected specific data in oncology, emergency medicine, cardiac, neonatology, orthopedics and pulmonology.

“The Children’s physicians and staff are committed to providing excellent clinical care for Georgia’s children in addition to focusing on research, teaching and wellness initiatives in order to enhance the lives of our patients,” said Donna Hyland, CHOA president and CEO.

PIEDMONT AWARD: Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta has received the Next-Generation Clinical Care Award as part of Health Data Management’s Editors Choice Awards. The organization cited Piedmont for being the nation’s best health care provider in making use of clinical data tools “to provide life-saving intelligence at the point of care.”

The Editor’s Choice Awards recognize the most innovative health care leaders and facilities for their pioneering efforts in using information technology to improve the quality of life of patients and the financial viability of their organizations.

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