ST. LOUIS – Three Esse Health nurse practitioners were named finalists for St. Louis Magazine’s Excellence in Nursing Awards. Mandy Drozda, CPNP, Terri Morris, ANP, and Eileen Steiniger, APRN, ANP-BC, are finalists in the Pediatrics: Non-Neonatal, Management/Nurse Executives/Clinical Nurse Leader, and Community Care/Ambulatory Care categories, respectively. (A photo of each is available at the following links: bit.ly/MandyDrozda, bit.ly/TerriMorris and bit.ly/ESteiniger.)
The Excellence in Nursing Awards recognizes nurses who go above and beyond the call of duty, according to St. Louis Magazine. All of the 63 finalists across 18 categories were evaluated and chosen by a seven-person panel. The finalists will be recognized at an awards reception on April 25, where the overall winner in each category will be announced.
Drozda has been seeing patients at Esse Health Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine at Watson Road for the last two years. In addition, she spends part of her time serving the children of St. Louis Children’s Hospital in hematology/oncology. While she enjoys serving the children in primary care, she has spent the last 14 years caring for children with cancer. Drozda is dedicated to caring for children and really loves every aspect of her career both at Esse Health and at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. She continues to strive to care for each child, each family, in the best way possible, every day, every time.
Morris leads a team of nurse practitioners who care for patients in Esse Health’s Intensive Outpatient Care Program (IOCP). From a contract and initial concept, Morris developed a successful framework for the team to engage patients to deliver an intensive care model. Her current direct patient care role is to be an advocate for patients in skilled nursing facilities where many times these patients are disenfranchised, caught in the system, and seemingly invisible patients who cycle into and out of the acute care healthcare system. Morris currently volunteers for community service with the United Way Child Welfare Panel, Board Member for the St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Alumni Association, and member of the UMSL Alumni Association. She also supports the United Way Charmaine Chapman Society, the Epworth Family and Children Services and volunteered at the American Diabetes Association’s St. Louis Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes for first aid support.
Steiniger cares for patients in Esse Health’s Intensive Outpatient Care Program (IOCP). These patients are 62 years of age and under, work full-time and need more personal care, more often, due to chronic medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes, to name a few. She is involved in the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American College of Nurse Practitioners, and the St. Louis Nurses in Advanced Practice. She volunteers her time with the American Red Cross and Pastoral Volunteer. She also helps with the St. Louis Nurses in Advanced Practice’s Annual Symposium and recently volunteered at the American Diabetes Association’s St. Louis Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes for first aid support.
Esse Health is an independent, St. Louis-based physician group that strives to improve the overall well-being of its patients through patient education, lifestyle modification and prevention. With 34 locations throughout the St. Louis and Metro East area, Esse Health’s services include asthma, allergy and immunology, family medicine, internal medicine, nutrition, pediatrics, radiology, urology and cardiology. Esse Health is recognized as a leader in using technology in health care and physician accountability for both quality and cost-of-care. For more information on Esse Health, visit www.essehealth.com.
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