Each year, Palm Healthcare Foundation partners with NewsChannel 5 to highlight the Foundation and the Palm Beach Post's Nurse Distinction Awards.
These awards recognize outstanding individuals who demonstrate dedication to excellence and commitment to the nursing profession.
Nurses can change a person's life and Roxanne Stein spent time with a woman who has done that--for not just one person, but entire families.
Getting to know her patients well is part of Dorothy Sanders job.
Every day, she spends time with patients diagnosed with mental illness at Oakwood Center: Palm Beach County’s mental health facility.
"Mental illness is different from regular physical illness."
"We focus on mental and social effects of patient."
Dorothy has done that for 30 plus years.
"I work with so many families, 3rd generation families that have come thru developing a relationship with them, their children, grandchildren...”
Catherine (we'll use first names only) is one of those people who Dorothy has known for close to 30 years.
"My mother came here in 72 we were both here together, she worked with my mother and then with me."
Catherine is just one of many success stories for Dorothy.
"She has been a big inspiration tome she does so much for me if I have problems."
With the help of her family... her husband, 3 children, and now grandchildren, Dorothy has spent her career at Oakwood--her dedication earned her the registered nurse of the year award. But her reward is the success of seeing someone overcome big challenges.
"Anytime you see someone who is very very ill and the come out, compliant with their meds, started getting better, someone smiles the real person-it makes you feel good."
Perhaps Domingo, a patient for 4 years, sums up what Dorothy does best for members of our society who are so often misunderstood.
"She makes me feel safe."
Dorothy cares so much about her patients; she often goes to the Oakwood center on weekends to make sure their medical needs--and anything else...is taken care of.
