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 of<strong>New</strong> <strong>Orleans</strong>photo 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 <strong>those</strong> situations, Lauve said the rewards have atendency to come full circle to remind her that she helpedsomeone during a trying process.“<strong>We</strong> 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 <strong>who</strong> Iam, and if I were to retire, I would never know what to do.This is where I want to be,” said Steiner, 64, <strong>who</strong> 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 <strong>those</strong> 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
NURSEMark StockstillPosition: chief nursing officer, Slidell Memorial HospitalAge: 47Family: wife, Tania; children, Jeffrey, 21, Alex, 19, Brandon, 14,Torrie, 14, Ethan, 2Education: associate degree’s in nursing, Pearl RiverCommunity Collegephoto by Tracie Morris SchaeferMark Stockstill chats with Slidell Memorial Hospital nurse Valerie Matherne.In more than two decades at Slidell Memorial Hospital,Mark Stockstill has overseen a growing nursing staff andan ongoing expansion of the hospital’s technological supportsystem.But no matter how much things change at SMH, Stockstillremains true to the principles that lured him to health care inthe first place.“I used to be in law enforcement, and as a deputy I wouldrespond to the scene of an accident. But then I would end upjust standing there for 15 or 20 minutes until the ambulancecame, not knowing what to do,” Stockstill said.That’s when he became interested in studying emergencyservices.“I didn’t like the idea of not being able to do anything whensomeone was in need of help.”That philosophy continues to guide Stockstill. Frequently,he tells staff members to treat their patients the way they wouldwant their mother treated. As an organizer of the hospital’sCritical Action Team, Stockstill has spearheaded an effort toenhance patient care.“The CAT was in response to a challenge put out by theInstitute for Health Care Improvement,” he said. “Their initiativewas to save 100,000 lives, and one of the subcomponentsof that was a rapid response team.”At SMH, the team’s efforts have reduced cardiac arrestcases by more than 50 percent.The system works like this: When nurses on the regularunit have a patient they think is not doing well, they enact therapid response team. Then, nurses from the intensive care unitand emergency department assess the patient and make treatmentdecisions on the spot.As a member of SMH’s senior management team,Stockstill, a former U.S. Air Force flight nurse, also has workedto develop and implement the hospital’s overall care mission.“It’s something we take very seriously. Our overallemphasis has been and remains on patient safety and customersatisfaction. To that end we have insisted upon keepingour staff at levels we think are safe and well above theindustry standard.”•— Garry BoulardWake Up!IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT BUSINESSSubscribe now and get the Book of Lists valued at$59 as part of your paid order.Call 1-800-739-8836to order your subscription andsave up to 60% off the newsstand price!<strong>New</strong> <strong>Orleans</strong> <strong>City</strong><strong>Business</strong> — May 25, 2009 19