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PUTNAM — Renee M. Smith, RN, MSN and executive director of Day Kimball Healthcare (DKH) at Home, was honored with the 2019 Judith Hriceniak Award for Excellence in Nursing Leadership by the CT Association for Healthcare at Home at its recent annual conference.
The Hriceniak Award is presented to a registered nurse who has demonstrated excellence in nursing leadership.
To receive the prestigious award, a nursing supervisor or CEO must serve as a visionary role model in the development and implementation of innovative projects that positively affect the ever-changing home care and hospice environment.
Smith, who has led DKH at Home for the last five years, has guided the home care agency into a culture of sustainability. As a seasoned nurse and patient advocate, upon stepping into the leadership role, she recognized the need to respond to the rapidly changing healthcare landscape and through her vision and innovative spirit, has motivated the agency’s staff to change with it, leading them into the future with confidence.
Smith’s presence not just within DKH, but within the local community and in the home care and hospice community along with her clinical expertise and knowledge earned her the distinguished Judith Hriceniak Award.
“This recognition is a testament to the excellent leadership Renee exemplifies, her contributions to home care services in northeastern Connecticut, and her commitment to her staff and the community,” said John O’Keefe, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient services, DKH. “Due to Renee’s strong leadership and guidance, the staff and agency are making a positive difference in the community by ensuring that individuals receive the best care possible in the comfort of their own homes.”
In her role as executive director of DKH at Home, Smith oversees the non-profit health system’s HomeCare, HomeMakers and Hospice and Palliative Care divisions, which provide both medically and non-medically based home care services for the residents of northeastern Connecticut.
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