Northside Hospital & Tampa Bay Heart Institute Announces Director, Employee and Nurse of the Year at Annual Service Awards Banquet

October 1, 2009 – St. Petersburg, FL-  Northside Hospital & Tampa Bay Heart Institute is pleased to announce to recipients of the Director, Nurse and Employee of the Year Awards.

Director of the Year was awarded to Carla Burton, Director of Respiratory Therapy.  The director of the year award is given to a leader whose efforts, achievements, and commitments are aligned with Northside's organizational goals. The individual presented this award is nominated by their peers. Carla is an expert in her field and is sought out by her peers, employees and physicians.  On numerous occasions she has lectured to the Interns and residents to keep them up-to- date on the  new clinical interventions in her specialty.  She is also dedicated to the community, volunteering at health screenings and serving as Team Captain for the American Heart Walk.

Nurse of the Year, Gus Palavaros, RN, is a nurse in the Cardiac Care Unit.  Gus is very focused on quality patient care and always puts the patients first, while keeping a smile on his face. He is an excellent teacher regardless of whether you are a new or veteran nurse. He is able to pull the team together and builds strong relationships with our physicians and other departments across the hospital. In all situations he handles himself in a calm and professional manner. Gus is well respected by his peers, our physicians and leadership.

Manager of Engineering, Charlie Hunt, was named Employee of the Year. Charlie has been at Northside for 20 years and has always demonstrated an intense passion and steadfast commitment to the facility & his department. His commitment to our facility is evident everywhere you look. The appearance of our facility sets the stage for our caregivers and he does an exceptional job of making sure we are always putting our best foot forward.        

The awards were given to the employees at the Annual Service Award Banquet.Northside Hospital congratulates all of these dedicated employees for their passion for excellence and their steadfast commitment to our facility.

***************************************
Serving the community since 1976, Northside Hospital & Tampa Bay Heart Institute is a 288-bed hospital, specializing in cardiovascular care, stroke, orthopedics and colorectal and general surgery.  Our technologically advanced facility, which includes a 64-slice CT scanner, allows our superior physicians and nursing staff to care for our growing community.  For more information about Northside Hospital & Tampa Bay Heart Institute, visit our website at www.NorthsideHospital.com.