Media Contacts:
Valerie Foster
Harrison Edwards PR/914-242-0010
vfoster@harrison-edwardspr.com
                        -or-
Ted Herman
Hudson Health Plan/914-372-2204
therman@hudsonhealthplan.org

 

EUQAISIA PERRY OF POUGHKEEPSIE WINS HUDSON HEALTH PLAN’S "WHY I APPRECIATE MY SCHOOL NURSE" ESSAY COMPETITION


Hudson Honors Euqaisia and Her School Nurse, Nancy Liber, at George W. Krieger School on May 9th to Commemorate National School Nurse Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 11, 2011

(Tarrytown, NY)…Euqaisia Perry, a fifth grader at George W. Krieger School in Poughkeepsie, has won Hudson Health Plan’s “Why I Appreciate My School Nurse” essay competition for the Poughkeepsie School District’s elementary students. Hudson presented certificates to both Euqaisia and school nurse, Nancy Liber of Wappingers Falls, on Monday, May 9th, to commemorate National School Nurse Day, and treated Euqaisia’s class to a pizza lunch.

“All her lotions and potions heal you in time,” Euqaisia wrote in her winning essay. “Lose a tooth? Don’t worry. Mrs. Liber will give you a case to give to the Tooth Fairy. Have a cut? A bump? A sting? Mrs. Liber can help with all those things.”

Hudson’s essay competition encourages children to write, and calls attention to the significant role school nurses play in education. This year, more than 150 students in Poughkeepsie in grades three through five wrote about their school nurses.

Margaret Leonard, MS, RN-BC, FNP, Senior Vice President of Clinical Services at Hudson, says that school nurses are often the first health professionals to notice health issues, such as vision problems or scoliosis. “In inner city schools, where many children come from homes with little economic security and limited access to health care, school nurses may be the only health professional the child sees on a regular basis,” Ms. Leonard says. “Add our nation’s soaring rates of childhood diabetes and asthma, and many students might not be able to attend school without on-site nurses to administer insulin pumps or asthma treatments.

Nurse Liber, who has worked in the Poughkeepsie School District for 10 years, says she goes out of her way to attend to students, and enjoys her job immensely.

Euqaisia certainly appreciates her attention. “My nurse is very special. She is very kind. She can help with almost everything. She will try to make you feel better,” she writes.

Hudson Health Plan is a community-based not-for-profit health care organization that provides state-sponsored Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus insurance coverage to adults and children in Dutchess and nearby counties In New York State, almost all children younger than 19 who are not currently covered by health insurance are eligible for Child Health Plus. To see if your child is eligible, call Hudson at 1-800-339-4557 or visit our website.

For More Information:

About Hudson Health Plan

Hudson Health Plan is a community-based not-for-profit health care organization that provides state-sponsored Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus insurance coverage to over 100,000 members in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hudson uses every government dollar it receives to fulfill its mission, which is “to promote and provide access to excellent health services for all people.” Hudson improves the health of its members and the communities in which they live through its innovations in care coordination, and by supporting over 5,000 local health providers. In both 2009 and 2010, Hudson achieved the highest quality incentive scores of any Medicaid plan in New York State. It also has earned the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among Medicaid Managed Care members in the Hudson Valley region every year since 2003.

Hudson Health Plan is based in Tarrytown, N.Y. Visit Hudson on the Web at www.hudsonhealthplan.org, and at www.facebook.com/hudsonhealthplan.

# # #

Download the PDF of this press release  

Return to previous page