Tompkins County School Nurses Named July Community Hero of the Month
In partnership with the Tompkins Chamber, we have named Tompkins County School Nurses as the July 2021 recipients of the Community Hero of the Month Award, which recognizes individuals from Tompkins County who have significantly impacted our community.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, school nurses have played an integral role in keeping students and their families safe. Despite constantly evolving county, state, and federal recommendations, school nurses from Tompkins County have provided the students in our community a sense of normalcy in an abnormal time.
Jennifer Tavares, President and CEO of the Tompkins Chamber, shared, “The Tompkins Chamber is grateful for the opportunity to thank our school nurses from across all of the districts in Tompkins County. They have no doubt taken on so much additional work, dealt with numerous regulations and so much uncertainty – all while trying to support our children and their caregivers.” Tavares added, “There was no script for managing a pandemic in modern-day school systems, and yet this group of school nurses managed it beautifully.”
Dr. Jeffrey A. Matteson, District Superintendent of TST BOCES and Board Chair of the Tompkins Chamber, shared “From day one of this unfortunate pandemic, one group we knew we could count on to help us serve our school communities and provide interpretations of health guidance has been our school nurses. They cared for our students, answered questions of parents, faculty, staff and administration, advised us on reopening plans, referred students for care, set the example for following health protocols on our campuses and brought issues to our attention that needed to be addressed to make our operations run smoothly and safely.”
Tompkins Trust Company President and CEO Greg Hartz stated, “We are pleased to present this award to these incredibly hardworking professionals who have shown immense service and dedication to our students and community throughout this difficult time.”
To demonstrate appreciation for these winners, the school nurses were awarded a Community Hero of the Month plaque and thank you cookies made by Creative Sweets from Tompkins Trust Company.
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