Central San Joaquin Valley Nursing Hall of Fame

Carolyn C. Drake, RN, EdD, dean of the health sciences division at Fresno City College, and Nancy L. Hinds, RN, BSN, founder of the Fresno-based Hinds Hospice, were inducted into the Central San Joaquin Valley Nursing Hall of Fame at California State University, Fresno. Drake and Hinds received the honor in September during the Hall of Fame's fifth annual awards luncheon.

Drake, a graduate of the Akron (Ohio) City Hospital School of Nursing, was the first female African American to obtain a job other than domestic work in Orrville, Ohio in 1964. After becoming the associate dean of instruction and nursing director of Fresno City College 30 years later, she built the largest nursing program west of the Mississippi.

Drake is also the founding president of the Central Valley Black Nurses Association and has received numerous awards, including the NAACP Image Award and Rosa Parks Award.

Hinds, who began caring for the terminally ill in her home in 1980, is considered a pioneer in caring for the terminally ill in the U.S. Hinds Hospice has expanded beyond a home to include outpatient services in Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties, and serves thousands of families.

She has received both the Italian Catholic Federation's Pope John XXIII Award and the Mitsubishi Motors USA Foundation's Unsung Heroine Award. Hinds has also developed several programs, including perinatal, pediatric, multicultural outreach, and inmate hospice programs.

Samuel Merritt College School of Nursing, Oakland, Calif.

Paulina Van, RN, PhD, an assistant professor, is featured in a new permanent exhibit at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland. The exhibit, “Visions Toward Tomorrow: The African American Community in Oakland, 1890-1990,” consists of photos, manuscripts, letters, home movies, and newspapers, as well as a touch-screen interactive portion that shows interviews with 60 multiethnic and multigenerational Oakland residents.

The exhibit chronicles the accomplishments of generations of Oakland's African-American pioneers to inform future generations, Chief Curator Rick Moss told Samuel Merritt College Office of the President enews.

In the article, Van added, “I had an opportunity to talk about struggles, and I think it's important for people who have goals, who are striving and struggling, to see people like them because it's motivating. When you see someone who has struggled and made it, it helps you know it is achievable.”

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Pattie Soltero, RN, BSN, MAOM, operations manager, was named the hospital's DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award winner for September.

Hospitals in the DAISY program give the award to one of their nurses each month for exceptional care.

Family members of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at age 33 of complications from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, formed the DAISY Foundation in 2000 to express their appreciation for nurses.

Soltero's co-workers describe her as an innovator who spearheaded the hospital's journal club and case studies monthly education programs. She has also been a force behind the hospital's 212° campaign, designed to motivate staff to exert “1 more degree” of effort to reach the “boiling point of water – 212°.”

Stanford Hospital & Clinics and UCSF

Garrett Chan, APRN, PhD, CEN, was one of eight inductees into the Academy of Emergency Nursing. He received the fellowship for his leadership in the Emergency Nurses Association and contributions to ED patient care.