[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E657-E658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING NORVA MAXWELL, VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA CLINICIAN 
                              OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 27, 2004

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
congratulate Norva Maxwell of the Visiting Nurses Association of 
Central Jersey. Ms. Maxwell was recently chosen as the Visiting Nurse 
Association of America VNAA, Clinician of the Year among 90,000 VNAA 
Clinicians nationwide.
  Norva Maxwell's holistic approach to patient care makes her highly 
effective as a community health nurse. Her clinical skills are 
impeccable. Her patience, sensitivity, and thoroughness allow her to 
detect problems others might have missed. In a number of instances, her 
experienced assessment has resulted in appropriate interventions for 
patients with assessment of respiratory distress, changes in mental 
status, or exacerbated injection.
  Patients and families aptly describe Norva as ``a credit to the 
nursing profession.'' There

[[Page E658]]

are countless examples of Norva going beyond the requirements of her 
job, visiting patients on her own time to bring them homemade chicken 
soup or picking up medications at the pharmacy.
  Norva provides professional and empathetic care to people of all 
ethnic, cultural, and financial backgrounds in a very ethnically 
diverse service area. Due to her extensive knowledge of area social 
programs, Norva regularly develops a safety net of services for 
patients ready for discharge.
  Norva is a member of the Salvation Army, and she and her family have 
worked at the Salvation Army camps for many years. Norva is always an 
active volunteer with a shelter for homeless families, and has made it 
possible for the families to spend a week at the camp each summer.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I congratulate Norva Maxwell who's strong 
clinical skills, compassionate spirit and interaction with the 
community make her a true Ambassador for her agency and for 
neighborhood nursing.

                          ____________________