Four decades of caring for moms and newborns

Rosetta White is the kind of nurse whose patients not only remember her name but who often return annually with updates on the children who flourished as newborns under her care.

A nurse in the maternity unit of Carolinas Medical Center for all 39 years of her career, White works tirelessly to meet the clinical and personal needs of mothers and their newborns. If a patient needs clothes for herself or her baby, White will unfailingly find them. She has even gone to patients’ homes to deliver items they have left behind, knowing they did not have transportation to return to the hospital.

For her extraordinarily compassionate care of patients, White was chosen as one of just six winners nationwide in the 2009 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award. She received the coveted Grand Prize in the award’s Licensed Practical Nurse/ Licensed Vocational Nurse category.

The award is granted by Cherokee Uniforms to recognize nurses and other non-physician healthcare professionals who demonstrate exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation and have a positive impact on others’ lives. This is the seventh year the leading designer and manufacturer of healthcare apparel has honored inspirational caregivers.

“Rosetta White demonstrates each and every day how profound she is at what she does. She has served diligently to meet the needs of mothers and babies for nearly four decades and still reaches deep down to provide her patients with her best,” says Wendell Mobley, who directs Cherokee Uniforms’ charitable and scholarship programs.

Honed by experience and knowledge, White’s clinical skills shine when patients’ symptoms may seem routine. Once, while working with a postpartum patient, she noticed that the patient’s feet were swollen. Driven by her keen eye and persistence, she brought the situation to the attention of a physician who obtained an orthopedic consult, resulting in a cancer diagnosis.

While a work shift taking care of the postpartum needs of patients can involve seemingly endless work and grueling physical walking and standing, White sacrifices personal time to serve the public in ways most will never know. She volunteers to coordinate the hospital’s annual blood drive, goes out into the community to help clean and fundraises at the hospital and in the community for the Arts and Science Center of Charlotte and the Children’s Miracle Network.

White was nominated by Linda Thornton, the nurse manager of the Carolinas Medical Center’s Mother/Baby Unit. “This nurse goes above all expectations in everything she does. She should be the poster child for our organization,” Thornton wrote in nominating White for the award.

As the Grand Prize Winner, White receives an all-expense-paid Caribbean cruise for two, a wardrobe featuring the best of Cherokee Uniforms and Cherokee Footwear worth more than $1,000, a Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award trophy and a 14K gold-plated commemorative pin.

Since the Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award was established in 2003, more than 7,000 healthcare professionals have been nominated in the Registered Nurse, Advanced Practice Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse, Student Nurse and Non-Physician Healthcare Professional categories. A panel of Cherokee representatives and past Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award recipients evaluates nominations and grants the awards.

For every nomination, Cherokee Uniforms donated $1 to Nurse’s House, a national fund that provides short-term financial assistance to registered nurses facing serious hardship. Proceeds from Cherokee Uniforms products support healthcare professionals through initiatives such as the Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award, scholarships for students enrolled in nursing school, and an inspirational film for nurses. Cherokee Uniforms will be accepting nominations for the 2010 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award beginning March 1 through May 31, 2010. For further information on the award, please visit http://inspiredcomfort.com. You can also congratulate Rosetta on her win in the comment section here.

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