It's the Year of the Nurse, and across the nation, patients are expressing appreciation, including for members of Hadassah's Nursing Council. In the Boston Globe's 2020 Salute to Nurses, visiting nurse Helen Tieger, RN, received special recognition.
"Helen brings a unique and sorely needed ingredient — especially to one who is house-bound and lives a solitary life — humor. I look forward to her visits tremendously," writes John Murray, who nominated Helen for the Boston Globe's tribute.
After a 43-year nursing career, Helen belongs on any patient's short list. Although she's faced challenges as a visiting nurse during COVID, she's proud that her company, Partners at Home, has provided education, support and needed PPE to ensure quality care for her patients.
While nursing has kept her busy, Helen has managed to balance work with her other passions. Over Labor Day weekend, she got married in a Zoom wedding ceremony. In lieu of gifts, Helen and her partner Barrie requested that wedding guests donate to charitable organizations, raising over $1,000 for Hadassah.
Helen's love for Hadassah spans decades. Her first Hadassah experience was a life-changing adventure in Israel. In 1979, she accepted an opportunity to volunteer as a nurse at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, where she learned foundational lessons about patient care.
"It was interesting the medical education that we got around being blind to who your patient is — and just wanting the best for each patient," says Helen. In the respiratory ICU, she cared for a terrorist after an unsuccessful attempt to plant a bomb on an Israeli bus. The experience, Helen says, was "an emotional rollercoaster," giving her firsthand experience with Hadassah's commitment to caring for all patients regardless of race, religion or nationality.
As a Hadassah member, Helen says she's loved "being able to make a difference in some small way" through fundraising for cutting-edge care at Hadassah's hospitals. And she's appreciated meeting dedicated, like-minded women while participating in education retreats, conventions and trips to Israel.
Helen shares Hadassah's commitment to women's health. While participating in a Check It Out program, Helen visited high schools to teach young women how to perform self-breast exams. As a breast cancer survivor herself, Helen cherished the opportunity to educate women on important health issues and marvels at Hadassah's advances in treating cancer and its cutting-edge work, especially with stem cells.
These days, Helen is busy with her work on behalf of Hadassah's Nurses Council. She served as president of her local North Shore council for four years, and is looking forward to an upcoming Year of the Nurse fundraiser that will raise funds for a new nurse's station at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
For Helen, working with Hadassah nurses is "meaningful and satisfying." No matter what the "new normal" brings, she says, "One thing is for certain. Hadassah's hospitals will keep on building to meet the demands of cutting-edge health care, and I plan to continue to help."
Are you a nurse? Learn more about the Hadassah Nurses & Allied Professionals Council.