Alumna Irene Pakel Won the Sharon Baranoski Founder’s Award

Alumna Irene Pakel, BSN 1994, recently attended the Wound and Skin Care Symposium in Las Vegas to accept a national award on behalf of Alameda Hospital’s Wound and Skin Care Committee. The Committee won the prestigious Sharon Baranoski Founder’s Award, which recognizes excellence in the field of wound management by an individual or group. Ms. Pakel, the hospital’s Clinical Education Specialist, chaired the award-winning Committee; along with co-workers Gloria Williams and Rosie Apura, she was instrumental in revamping the hospital’s wound and skin care program. The revised program, which included mandatory education for nursing staff, resulted in a significant decrease of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU) for patients at Alameda Hospital.

Ms. Pakel, who has a Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Education, also functions as Alameda Hospital’s Patient Safety Officer. At the end of the month, she will attend the CALNOC Conference in San Diego to accept Alameda Hospital’s award for success in decreasing patient falls.