From left, Suzann Blanchard, RN, Dawn Lyder, RN, and Mary-Grey Maher, MD.

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Yale New Haven Hospital on Feb.4 gave the first Patient Experience Awards for Caring and Excellence (PEACE) to a physician and two nurses.

York Street Campus

Suzann Blanchard, RN, and Dawn Lyder, RN, Labor and Birth, exhibited compassion and kindness to a family who had suffered the loss of their infant. It is hospital practice to encourage grieving families to see and hold their infants, but the couple initially declined, then changed their minds after leaving the hospital. Both nurses prepared the family on what to expect, gave them privacy with their infant and gathered items for a memory box. Blanchard and Lyder went out of their way to ease the suffering of the family, allowing them to connect with their infant in a meaningful way.

Saint Raphael Campus

Mary-Grey Maher, MD, medical director, General Surgery (Verdi 5 West), demonstrated a caring attitude to her patient and colleagues. When treating a patient whose care presented a challenge to many staff members and the physician team, Dr. Maher spent several hours at the bedside and took the time to get to know the patient. As a result, she was able to develop a specialized plan for the patient's nurses and physicians, helping them provide treatment in a manner that was best for the patient.