We salute those who - New Orleans City Business

NURSEDianna LauvePosition: radiation therapist and radiation oncology supervisor,Touro InfirmaryAge: 48Family: husband, Russell; children, Candace, 20, Carlee 16Education: bachelor’s degree in science, University of St. Francis;pursing master’s degree in health care management, University ofNew Orleansphoto by Frank AymamiDianna Lauve supervises what she calls a top notchteam of health care professionals in Touro Infirmary’sRadiation Oncology department.She has worked as a radiation therapist at Touro for 23years, a course she strategically charted after witnessingseveral family members suffer with cancer.Before obtaining a bachelor’s degree in science, Lauvesaid she trained in X-rays and used it “as an avenue to getinto therapy school” so she would have the proper credentialsto work with cancer patients. The rest was history.Contrary to what some may think and often ask, Lauvesaid she’s not pessimistic about her career or responsibilitieswith working with cancer patients. Rather, she said herstance is and has always been: “How can I help you getthrough this process.”And the mantra applies to patients and their families,particularly when the patient is a child. Lauve saidChildren’s Hospital refers all of its cancer patients to herRadiation therapist Dianna Lauve prepares Tina Miceli for a CAT scan.department for treatment. In such cases, she said a parent’spain is often more evident than the child’s pain.“The kids don’t know what they’re going through buttheir families sure do,” she said.Even in those situations, Lauve said the rewards have atendency to come full circle to remind her that she helpedsomeone during a trying process.“We might have treated them (child patients) 10 yearsago, but when they come back just for a checkup or just tosay hi, that’s what’s rewarding,” she said. “Working in thisfield helps people put life into perspective each and everyday. I can honestly say that I’ve never taken a day or aminute for granted.”•— Nayita WilsonNURSEKathy SteinerPosition: adult services director, Tulane Medical CenterAge: 64Family: sons, Jeffrey, 45, Brad, 42, Tad, 39; 13 grandchildrenEducation: diploma in nursing, Rockford Memorial Hospital School ofNursing; bachelor’s degree in nursing, Rockford College; master’s degreein nursing, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Centerphoto by Frank AymamiAfter more than 30 years in nursing, Kathy Steiner hasone thing to say about her retirement: It’s not going tohappen.“It’s too much a part of me. Nursing is a piece of who Iam, and if I were to retire, I would never know what to do.This is where I want to be,” said Steiner, 64, who has beendirector of adult services at Tulane Medical Center sinceJanuary 2005.Steiner, a member of the Tulane Medical Center staff for 24years, manages seven units in the hospital, overseeing the dailyissues of those departments and mentoring the nursing staff.“One thing about management is you work through otherpeople, and that gives you the latitude to make an impactthrough other nurses around here,” Steiner said. “Every dayit’s about patients getting the kind of care we want to beknown for. I call it situational leadership because it’s a constantlychanging and challenging environment with the qualityof patient care our top priority.”Steiner said she fell in love with nursing at RockfordCollege in Illinois, and her time spent nursing in the intensiveFrom left: Valeria Patterson, Kathy Steiner and Raven Moore discuss the day’s patient load.care unit validated her career choice.“This may sound cliché, but I just remember sitting withpatients and I knew I could make a difference. It was that feelingI had inside me,” she said. “Nursing is a calling, and if Ican touch someone’s heart, I have made a difference.”In addition to her daily management responsibilities,Steiner is also working with Tulane Medical Center staff tocontinue to rebuild the hospital to pre-Hurricane Katrinastatus. Like much of the staff, Steiner was evacuated from therooftop of the hospital’s garage after the storm.“My staff needed to see positivism. They needed to knowwe were still a team, a family that was going to stick together,survive and come back.”•— Tommy Santora18 Health Care Heroes