[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10259]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING RONDA R. CLAYTON, RN, BSN

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 17, 2014

  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 
to honor Ronda R. Clayton, the 2011 recipient of the New Mexico Center 
for Nursing Excellence's Rural Practice Nurse of the Year Award.
  In 1991, Ronda completed her Bachelor of Science and began her 
honorable career as a healthcare practitioner in New Mexico. For over 
20 years, Ronda has dedicated this time to serving the people of 
Artesia, New Mexico through her tireless work at Artesia General 
Hospital, a small, 49-bed, rural hospital.
  Serving as a healthcare provider in a rural community invariably 
means becoming a ``jack of all trades'' and Ronda exemplifies this 
characteristic every day she walks through the Artesia General Hospital 
doors. As the Director of Pharmacy she provides clinical expertise in 
pharmacy to hospital nurses and medical staff, she develops strategies 
to move the Department's skill base and technology forward, and she 
works with patients in the Intensive Care Unit, following up on 
patients long after they are discharged from the hospital.
  With a singular commitment to patient-focused care Ronda took the 
initiative to develop a program in which patient medication, laboratory 
and microbiology values, and diagnosis are assessed repeatedly to 
ensure efficiency. Ronda is everything to everyone--as a co-worker she 
shows genuine interest in staff development, as a practitioner she 
takes extra measures to ensure patients, physicians, and staff are well 
taken care of, and as a respected member of her hospital, she values 
the opinions of others and looks for ways to contribute back to her 
community.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my appreciation to Nurse Clayton 
for spending so much of her career inspiring young nurses and other 
healthcare professionals to continue serving rural communities with the 
same level of passion and commitment that she has shown throughout her 
years. Ronda is an exemplary New Mexico healthcare success story, and 
serves as a role model for future generations of healthcare 
professionals. Ronda's receipt of the Rural Practice Nurse of the Year 
Award was not only well-deserved, but long overdue.

                          ____________________