For Immediate Release
June 27, 2008
Contact: Donna Sellmann
732-840-3279
dsellmann@meridianhealth.com

OCEAN MEDICAL CENTER NURSE RECEIVES GOVERNOR’S NURSING MERIT AWARD

Brick, NJ - Phyllis Begyn, BSN, RN, OCN, CNA, of Toms River has received the 2008 Governor’s Nursing Merit Award. As a nurse manager at Ocean Medical Center in Brick, NJ, the award acknowledges Phyllis’ exemplary efforts as a Registered Professional Nurse Manager in an Acute Care setting.

Nursing professionals throughout the state of New Jersey were nominated for the 20th Annual New Jersey Governor’s Nursing Merit Awards. They represented a variety of nursing professionals in areas such as acute care, academic, and community health settings. Only 13 nurses in the state were recognized for this distinguished award.

Begyn was one of two nurses from Meridian Health who were recognized at the recent awards ceremony. Rebecca Graboso, MSN, RN, CCRN, APN,C from Riverview Medical Center’s stroke program was the winner in the Advanced Practice Nurse category. The nurses were honored in separate award categories which recognize exceptional achievements and contributions to the nursing profession. Meridian Health nurses have consistently been recognized with the Governor’s Award for the past 11 years.

“Receiving this award was the highlight of my professional career,” says Begyn, who manages the oncology nursing unit at Ocean Medical Center. “It’s one thing to do a job you love. It’s another to be recognized by your peers and professionals from throughout the state for doing that job.”

According to Regina Foley, RN, CHE, vice president nursing/chief nurse executive at Ocean Medical Center, “Phyllis represents the hundreds of nurses at Ocean Medical Center and throughout Meridian who demonstrate an unwavering commitment to their patients and profession. We are extremely proud of her accomplishments and the collaborative efforts of our entire nursing team to deliver compassionate, quality care to each patient and family we serve.”

The New Jersey Governor’s Nursing Merit Award was established in 1989 by then Governor, Thomas Kean. Through the Governor's Nursing Merit Awards program, which is administered by the Department of Health and Senior Services’ Nursing Merit Award Advisory Board, the Governor of New Jersey acknowledges individual New Jersey nurses who demonstrate nursing excellence, and it honors their essential contributions to the nursing profession as well as to our State's healthcare system. The award recognizes exemplary attributes that include a unique blend of technical excellence and human compassion. During the past 11 years, 18 Meridian nurses have been recognized with the Governor’s Merit Award.

Ocean Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health family, is a 281-bed non-profit community hospital located in Brick New Jersey, providing health care programs and services in all major medical disciplines, including maternity; oncology; orthopedics and rehabilitation; general, neurological, thoracic, and vascular surgery; cardiology; dialysis; and emergency and critical care services. The Medical Center features Magnet award winning nurses and is a proud affiliate of University of Pennsylvania Cancer Network. Ocean Medical Center also operates the state’s first Satellite Emergency Department in Point Pleasant, called the Ocean Care Center. For more information, call the Meridian Health Line at 1-800-560-9990 or log on to our web site at www.OceanMedicalCenter.com.

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