Dawn Bova is Nominee for OHA Award

            Dawn Bova, MSN, NP-C, with The Bellevue Hospital’s (TBH) Family Health Services and Occupational Health Department, is TBH’s nominee for the 2017 Ohio Hospital Association’s (OHA) Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award.         

            The Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award has been given annually since 1996 to one Ohio caregiver who personifies a leader, gives back to the community, and routinely goes beyond the call of duty and has overcome odds to succeed. 

            The hospital staff nominated Bova for the award with the following information:

            “Dawn is a natural leader who leads by example, who leads by doing, who leads by just getting the job done whatever it takes. She has been a nurse for the past 31 years and has worked at The Bellevue Hospital for the past 27 years. During this time she has worked in various locations and expanded her knowledge and learned how to get things done. She looks at a project and sees what it should look like at the finish line and then she connects the dots with people and resources, always smiling and laughing and encouraging those around her to change what needs to be changed and protect what does not need to change. She is positive and always willing to help when needed.”

            “The Bellevue Hospital’s Mission states, ‘We Care for Patients as Members of our Family.’ In this respect, Dawn is the epitome of our Mission. Dawn knew that she wanted to be a nurse from a young age. She was a member of the Future Nurses of America Club in High School. During her career, she has worked in Surgery, Cardiac Rehab, Family Birthing Center, and the Senior Treatment Enrichment Program. And in addition to her busy family schedule with her husband and four children, she has continued her education, pursuing her Bachelor and Masters degree in Nursing and certified nursing practitioners certificate. She currently is a nurse practitioner working with Family Health Services, serving our low-income patients and with the Occupational Health Department, serving area businesses and their employees. If Dawn has been involved with a patient, she continues to work as their resource and healthcare advocate. She makes referrals to service agencies, tracks down assistance with medication or further treatment if necessary.”

            “Dawn continuously goes beyond the call of duty when it comes to providing care and information to patients and community members. In addition to Dawn’s nursing career, she actively volunteers her time with OhioCAN (Change Addiction Now) as the Sandusky County Coordinator. OhioCANs’ goal is to educate, embrace and empower those affected with or by substance use disorders and to reduce the stigma of overdoses. Dawn was drawn to helping families dealing with substance use disorder because of her and her family’s personal experience in substance use disorder and recovery efforts. Her son, Bradley, recently lost his courageous battle with addiction. Dawn is trying to turn her son’s death into something positive by bringing awareness, education and resources to others. Dawn has educated herself on the opioid epidemic. And through her efforts, she is working with area healthcare agencies and community organizations to build a grassroots group to help. She has helped create a Substance Use Disorder Committee at The Bellevue Hospital, is starting a new substance support group and initiated a donation drop off location and a Blessing Bag (filled with food, toiletries, and clothing) pick-up location at the hospital. She is also involved with an area support group for family members. And, she continues to speak to churches, schools and community forums, using her voice to speak her heart, so others may hear Bradley’s story.” 

            “Dawn uses her knowledge and skills to help people. She is an educator who gives training and understanding to her patients, who range from new mothers dealing with lack of sleep and a colicky baby to a factory worker who has to learn how to lift properly to help his back and keep his job. She is an innovator who directs her hospital toward new programs and services, from forming a Jazzercise Class to an Addiction Support Group. She is a mother and a nurse who has devoted her life to caring for her community and making it a better place to live by helping those who need her the most, those who may be overlooked or unwanted. It is her passion for helping people who are underserved, have mental illness, and struggling with addiction that encourages other health care professionals to look at patients from a different perspective and community members to look at their fellow citizens and see the individuals for what they can be. Most importantly, Dawn has opened her home and her arms to surround the families dealing with the death of their husband, sister, son or daughter, comforts them and tells them the story of how to make the world a better place in honor of those they lost.” 

            “Whatever Dawn does, she does with a smile and a sense of compassion that wraps you in the security of knowing you're safe and cared for and about. Her recent loss of her beloved son, Bradley, has made Dawn, her husband, Barry, and children's life choices easier...It's to leave this world a better place, a safer place for all. She is a patient advocate, she is starting support groups and providing resources for people with substance use disorder...it's her Mission, her heart, her love.”

            Bova will represent TBH at the OHA Recognition Dinner in Columbus on June 13.