PRESS RELEASE
FAYE BERZON RECEIVES LIVING LEGEND AWARD
FROM NEW ENGLAND SINAI HOSPITAL
STOUGHTON, MA — On May 8, 2008, New England Sinai presented the first ever Living Legend Award to Sharon resident Faye Berzon, MSN, RN, CAGS for the significant contribution she has made to the profession of nursing. Awarded for the first time in Sinai’s 81-year history, the Living Legend Award honors Berzon’s 61 years as a registered nurse, nurse educator and advocate. “We are so pleased to recognize Faye Berzon,” said Lester P. Schindel, Sinai President and CEO. “She represents the very best of nursing and stands as a reminder that the art of caring, something we take pride in at Sinai, should never become a lost art.”
The Living Legend Award recognizes a nurse who is a Sinai employee, board member or volunteer, and has made a significant contribution to the Profession of Nursing on a local, national or international level.
Berzon’s wealth of experience in the profession, which included caring for the poet Robert Frost at the end of his life, also extended to her work as an advocate for nursing education. She decided to become a nurse when World War II began. Determined to help make a difference, she entered Beth Israel Hospital’s School of Nursing through a tuition-paid cadet nurse program and was considered part of an essential corps of nurses. In 1947, she went on to work for the Visiting Nurses Association and earn her RN. Ten years later, she began working as a medical surgical nurse. When the opportunity to teach came along, Berzon found that she was a natural and enjoyed helping other nurses advance in their careers. A lifelong learner, Berzon went on to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Nursing from Boston University, a certificate of advanced study from UMass, Amherst and, recently, an certificate of advanced study (CAGS) in Gerontology from UMass, Boston. She advanced rapidly in academia, serving as instructors at Simmons and Laboure, as Assistant Professor at BU School of Nursing, and Professor and Chairperson at Massasoit Community College. Berzon was instrumental in laying the foundation for many current nurse education programs, working with area colleges, negotiating articulation agreements with academic committees and boards and carving out curriculum options to make nurse education programs more available and accessible than ever before.
Berzon came to Sinai in 1985 when an instructor at Massasoit asked her to help coordinate the Rene Leslie Mandell Memorial Scholarship Program. Later, as a member of Sinai’s Board of Advisors, Berzon helped expand scholarship opportunities for Sinai nurses. “Unlike some of their contemporaries at other hospitals, Sinai nurses still practice the “art” of nursing as well as the science. I continue to marvel at their dedication and devotion to patients who have so many complex medical conditions,” she says.
Although she is now retired, Berzon continues to maintain her RN license to meet requirements as a reviewer and to keep up with what’s going on in the profession. She attends a variety of other professional conferences this year.
Founded in 1927, New England Sinai Hospital is a 212-bed, non-sectarian, not-for-profit, long-term acute-care hospital with its main campus in Stoughton, MA and an inpatient satellite unit in Boston. It is a teaching affiliate of Tufts University School of Medicine. Sinai is recognized as a regional leader in the care of pulmonary, medically complex and acute rehabilitation care. Additionally, Sinai offers a wide range of specialized outpatient programs and services.
Contact:
Carole Herrup
Public Relations Director
New England Sinai Hospital
150 York Street
Stoughton, MA 02072
Tel. 781-297-1329
FAX: 781-297-7509