Page 6 - May 2017 Health Care Heroes Section

GREATER MIAMI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2017 HEALTH CARE HEROES ®

NURSES

Ana Rodriguez, RN, RRT Linda Washington-Brown, Ph.D.,
Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) EJD, ARNP-BC, LHCRM
Holtz Children’s Hospital Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Jackson Health System RN to BSN Program
Broward College
A dedicated nurse, Ana Rodriguez has saved the
lives of many babies who have been cared for at one President, Miami Chapter Black Nurses
of the largest neonatal programs in the United States, Association, Inc.
known worldwide for its cutting-edge research to
improve neonatal care and its success in caring for Linda Washington-Brown exemplifies professional
critically ill infants. Every year, 300 newborn babies nursing leadership in the areas of administrative over-
are treated in Holtz Children’s Hospital’s Level 3 sight, nursing education and community involvement.
NICU, and 2,000 receive care in the Level 2 newborn As the current and founding associate dean for the
intermediate unit—some born more than four “For the past 12 years, Ana RN-BSN program at Broward College, she has gar- “Last year alone, over 4,000
months early, critically ill, and weighing less than a “Ani” Rodriguez, RN, nered support from leading educational entities and patients were seen in the free
pound. has been providing loving and nursing leaders to cosponsor nursing faculty leader- health clinics that Linda is
As a neonatal critical care nurse, Ms. Rodriguez compassionate care to the most ship and training programs that address the nurse involved with and dozens of
provides round-the-clock care to these patients. fragile and tiniest babies in educator shortage facing South Florida. She has also nursing interns were supplied
Aside from giving them daily care, she has also been South Florida as a neonatal conducted faculty retreats and research conferences to the clinics. She has demon-
instrumental in providing emotional support to the nurse. Because of her expert that focus on current nursing research findings in the strated her professionalism,
parents of these babies, and helped create the Parent care, alongside our team of areas of nursing education and nursing practice. She compassion, leadership,
Support Network, a program that connects parents of highly skilled University of brokered a $77,000 partnership with VITAS
premature babies and provides them with emotional Healthcare Inc. to provide faculty training and devel- passion and more in the field
support. As part of the retinopathy of prematurity Miami neonatologists, many opment in end-of-life—palliative care training. In of healthcare, using her tal-
team, Rodriguez provides vision care and screenings of these babies have been able South Florida, she pioneered the development of the ents and abilities to train the
for premature babies; she also teaches CPR classes to to thrive and survive. She has only undergraduate three-credit hour end-of-life next generation of health pro-
patients, organizes classes for physical and speech undoubtedly impacted hundreds course with clinical simulation embedded into an RN- fessionals and make possible
therapists, and teaches other nurses and parents of lives that she’s touched.” BSN program. She was instrumental in establishing an healthcare to thousands
Kangaroo Mother Care, a unique and highly effective Indra Battle-Triana, RN, MSN, RN-BSN Honor Society with the vision to provide of people.”
therapy proven to stabilize babies’ heart and breath- MSM, NEA-BC. Chief Nursing community service locally and abroad, including con- Rev. Ronald Brummit, President,
ing rates. In addition, she recently dedicated her per- Officer, Holtz Children’s Hospital & ducting annual community health fairs at three
sonal time to go on a medical mission to the Broward College campuses. Miami Rescue Mission/Broward
Dominican Republic to provide care to babies born The Women’s Hospital She also implemented an Academic Service Outreach Centers
with the Zika virus. at Jackson Memorial Learning (ASL) component within the RN-BSN cur-
riculum, integrating traditional study with community service activities. She has written
and received funding for several external program grants for community impact projects,
enabling the creation of a Healthy Me—Healthy Community project to vaccinate the
homeless in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. In addition, Dr. Washington-Brown has
provided global healthcare to over 700 indigent families in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and most
recently donated mannequins to the Leon Becerra Charitable Children’s Hospital on
which nurses and doctors can train. She and her team of professional doctors and nurses
have provided hands-on training in simulation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to
more than 80 doctors and nurses in Guayaquil.

INDIVIDUALS OF MERIT

George E. Cadman III
Col. USMCR (Ret.)
Healthcare Advocate and Board Member
Baptist Health South Florida

Not only did George E. Cadman serve our country
for more than 31 years, earning several national
defense and Vietnam service medals, but he has com-
mitted his life to serve as a guardian of the South
Florida community . His dedication to South Dade is
evidenced by his commitment to serve and lead in dif-
ficult times.
When there was a discussion to close Homestead “The South Dade community
Hospital after Hurricane Andrew , he embraced his
role as a Baptist Health board member and boister- is a better place because of
ously advocated to keep the healthcare resource in generous and passionate com-
the South Dade community . His genuine concern for munity leaders like Mr.
his community and his willingness to use his stature Cadman. In South Florida’s
to represent the underserved is one of the reasons diverse community, he accepts
why Homestead Hospital is able to serve as the de- and supports differences, com-
facto safety net hospital in South Miami-Dade municates openly and with
County , providing charity care to thousands of indi- respect, and he is a true public
viduals at a cost of more than $22 million each year. servant.”
His board leadership has been invaluable to
Bill Duquette
Baptist Health, and he continues to advocate for the
Chief Executive Officer
disadvantaged by serving to help increase access to
healthcare through Medicaid expansion efforts and Homestead Hospital
fully supporting Homestead Hospital’s strategy to
increase primary care in the community . He is a person of principle and has earned the
respect of every single colleague and board member, allowing everyone to work together
to improve the lives of the community they serve.

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