This
is one of the highest honors that the nursing community in Connecticut can give
one of its own.
Ruth was cited for her contributions to public health
nursing and home care. Over the span of her career she helped develop the nurse
practitioner role, the nursing role in the (then) emerging home care specialty
and the overall agenda for public health nursing in this country.
Ruth
brings an extensive background in public health nursing and home care with
experience as a public health nurse, clinical supervisor, administrator,
clinical specialist, consultant and educator. She has held numerous faculty
positions in Connecticut and nationally. In addition Ruth headed the Division of
Education at the National Center for Homecare Education and Research in New York
City and helped to set up and initially headed the Department of Education at
the John D. Thompson Institute at the Connecticut Hospice.
Among
her many accomplishments:
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She helped established at Yale
University the first family nurse practitioner (NP) program in Connecticut and
the first NP program in the state to be based in a graduate program.
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She helped to establish the
American Nurses’ Association’s (ANA) Council of Primary Care Nursing and
co-authored ANA’s first scope of practice statement and standards of practice
for adult and family nurse practitioners.
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She studied the
preparation for community health nursing practice in baccalaureate programs
across the country for APHA and has provided extensive consultation to schools
on public health nursing in the curriculum.
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She was one of the first to
identify the clinical supervisor role as one of the most critical clinical roles
in public health and home care, analogous to the "head nurse" or
“nurse manager role in in-patient care.
Ruth
is a recognized leader in public health nursing and home care nationally. She is
frequently sought out by professional organizations and state and federal
agencies for her assistance in public health and home care issues and by schools
of nursing for community nursing curriculum development. Ruth has held numerous
state and national offices and chairing or serving on committees and task forces
in many state and national organizations.
Ruth
is a prolific writer and has authored or co-authored over 50 articles and four
books, two of which received the American Journal of Nursing’s prestigious
“Book of the Year” Award (in 1992 and in 2001). In 1983 she helped to
establish the journal, Public Health Nursing, a landmark
publication for public health nursing as a nursing specialty.
In
her “retirement” Ruth continues to seek out new avenues in public health.
Currently, she works in an environmental health role at the Quinnipiack Valley
Health District in Hamden, CT.
Ruth serves as an outstanding role
model for both professionals and students alike. She is a trusted friend and
colleague to many of us in CAPHN. She was instrumental in the successful
formation and recognition of our (then) fledgling organization of which Ruth
proudly described herself as “den mother.”