W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing Dean Dr. Phyllis Marshall (left) and students in the school’s Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN Program, Gisselle Mealia and Jessica Poland, join John Thurber, Vice President for Public Affairs at Thomas Edison State University, in delivering dinner from 1911 Smokehouse BBQ to the staff of the ICU and CCU at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton.
W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing Dean and Students Step in With Sustenance
Trenton, N.J. – Sometimes it takes a nurse to fully grasp the plight of others in the field. Thomas Edison State University’s W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing staff and students got the opportunity to show their empathy and support for nurses at St. Francis Medical Center on May 8, by personally delivering food from 1911 Smokehouse BBQ in Trenton. It is especially fitting that the gesture corresponds with National Nurses Week, May 6-12, during the 2020 Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and culminates with the observance of the 200th birthday anniversary of Florence Nightingale.
“Our School's nursing students, alumni and educators, many of whom are affiliated with hospitals and healthcare providers across the region and beyond, are telling us that their workplaces have been besieged by the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Dr. Filomela “Phyllis” Marshall, dean of the W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing. “We’re proud to be nurses and able to support area nurses and their team members who sacrifice so much, while also supporting Trenton area food service providers.”
The donation connects to the nursing school's ongoing educational collaborations with area hospitals, emergency responders, home healthcare organizations and community organizations like the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.
Delivering meals to their colleagues at St. Francis also provides TESU staff and Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN Program students an opportunity to show the valued community partner how much they care. A multitude of St. Francis’ registered nurse employees have advanced their education through a longstanding educational partnership with TESU.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of TESU’s leadership team have donated food from 1911 Smokehouse BBQ, Trenton Bagel & Deli and Trenton Farmers Market to area healthcare providers and first responders on behalf of the University community.
Vi-Anne Antrum, DNP