SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Springfield Hospital is pleased to announce Blythe Kersula, R.N., B.S., MSN, CIC, as recipient of the 2021 Eileen Austin Neal RN Spirit of Nursing Award. This award was created in 2004 in honor of Eileen Austin Neal, R.N., who worked at Springfield Hospital for 64 years and retired in 2005. Eileen was in her 80s when she retired, and she was the first recipient of this award in recognition of her many years of dedicated service.
Criteria for the award includes communication, care for patients, nursing professionalism, and teamwork. Nominations are accepted from throughout the organization, and are reviewed and voted on by a committee that includes the previous year’s recipient and a member of Eileen’s family, among others.
Contained within Blythe’s nomination are the following words from one of her colleagues: “In her role as infection preventionist, she quickly rose to the challenge of leading our prevention and, later, our vaccination efforts, working in close collaboration with our Incident Command Team and the many departments in the hospital as well as throughout the SMCS clinic network. The word ‘teamwork’ doesn’t begin to describe her incredible communication skills, collaboration, and thorough attention to every level of detail that has been essential over these many, many long months. Blythe’s steady leadership and expertise has been called upon every day during the Covid-19 pandemic. She has been on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for months on end…and always with a smile and professionalism that is above reproach.”
“On behalf of the staff of Springfield Hospital and its Board of Directors, I’m pleased to extend our gratitude to Blythe for her ongoing commitment and dedication, and we are truly honored to have her as a valued member of our team,” commented Robert Adcock, Chief Executive Officer for Springfield Hospital.