Pictured above from left to right are: Bayhealth Senior Vice President & Chief Nurse Executive Bonnie Perratto, CNA Garrie Camp, CNA Shannon Faulkner, CNA Ruthie Brown, and Ken Robertson.
Bayhealth has announced the first three winners of the Ken Robertson Assistance Fund. Bayhealth Nursing Assistants Garrie Camp, Ruthie Brown, and Shannon Faulkner will each receive a $500 award to be used for their nursing school expenses.
The award is made possible by a generous donation from Dover resident Ken Robertson, a former patient who received care at Bayhealth – Kent General, where he developed a special appreciation for the nursing assistants who helped him recover. The Ken Robertson Assistance Fund provides three $500 awards each year for Bayhealth nursing assistants who are enrolled in an RN nursing program.
“From being a patient (at Bayhealth – Kent General Hospital), I know how much of a difference the nursing assistants make to people. I appreciate all they’ve done for me and this is my way of giving back,” said Robertson who is a retired U.S. Air Force officer. Robertson hopes that his personal $1,500 annual donation to the fund will not only help nursing assistants continue their education but allow them to have an impact as future nurses.
“We thank Mr. Robertson for giving back. He is committed to creating support for our nursing assistants with the hope of sustaining future generations of nurses,” said Bayhealth Director of Patient Advocacy, Service Excellence, and Professional Recruitment Marianne Foard, RN, MS.
All three of this year’s fund winners are enrolled in the nursing program at Delaware Technical & Community College:
-
Garrie Camp, a CNA at Bayhealth Kent General’s 4A Medical-Surgical Unit for the past 11 years. Camp earned the Planetree Spirit of Caring Award in 2010 and completed his Associates Degree in Theology from Delaware Technical & Community College in 2011.
-
Ruthie Brown, a CNA at Bayhealth Kent General’s 4A Medical-Surgical Unit for the past three years. Brown was inspired to become a nurse after witnessing the compassionate care that her father received while hospitalized at Bayhealth Kent General.
-
Shannon Faulkner, a CNA serving in the Special Care Nursery (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at Bayhealth Kent General since 2010.
This was the first year that the Ken Robertson Assistance Fund was awarded.