Kenmore Mercy Hospital prides itself on its sense of family. What better time than Mother’s Day to celebrate our multi-generational healthcare families, what they learn from each other, and their inspiring successes.
Ellen, Rachel & Ashley Colan (pictured above)
Ellen Colan, BSN, CNOR, RN, is a senior clinical advisor in Kenmore Mercy Hospital’s Perioperative Department where she oversees education for nursing and sterile processing associates at all levels of their career.
With two daughters, Rachel and Ashley, who have followed in her footsteps, they are a family of healthcare heroes. Rachel, a nurse assistant in Kenmore Mercy’s Medical Rehabilitation Unit, will complete her nurse education at D’Youville this May while Ashley is a nurse at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and is starting a nurse practitioner program at D’Youville. She started her career at Sisters of Charity of Hospital. Each of Colan women is proud to call D’Youville their alma mater.
“I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl,” said Ellen, “It was my lifelong calling.” Ellen joined Kenmore Mercy’s surgical department as a staff nurse in 1992, and has been in nursing for more than thirty years now. She became a nurse educator in 2017, putting those years of experience to good use by teaching new nurses, coordinating annual competencies, and keeping associates abreast of the most recent changes in healthcare.
“I remember when my girls were young. I used the Operation game to describe my job,” said Ellen. “And today, they are exploring are own nursing careers. I’m so proud of them. It warms my heart.”
When you listen to her daughters, and the many associates she teaches at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, it is obvious that Ellen has inspired them. “As a nurse, I believe at that the end of the day, no matter how challenging it was, I have impacted someone’s life for the better,” said Ashley.
Kitty Scribner & Maria Richardson
Kathryn (AKA Kitty) Scribner, BSN, RN, is a nurse on Kenmore Mercy Hospital’s 2 East and 2 South Patient Care Units where she helps patients recovering from surgery. When she talks about her daughter Maria Richardson, BSN, CCRN, RN, also a nurse at the hospital, Kitty just gushes with pride.
Maria was the nurse educator for the night staff and a graduate of the University of Buffalo, with a bachelor’s of science in nursing. While raising two adorable little girls, she also pursued her Master’s degree.
Both women have a long history at the hospital, with Kitty having started in 1980 on the urging of her mother, who thought it would be a good way to meet a doctor. While she didn’t marry a doctor, she found a wonderful husband with whom she had six children. Of them, Maria was the only with an interest nursing.
She started as a nurse attendant on the same floor as her mother, both working the night shift. After completing her nurse certification, Maria joined Kitty on the 2 East Patient Care Unit. She noted that her mom was a great resource. “She made it more comfortable for me in my new position.”
Maria is pretty proud of her mother too. “When I started working with my mom, I looked at her like a celebrity. She was very well respected. She spends extra time with patients, smiling, answering questions, doing the little things that make a difference.”
Maria may be the only one who calls Kitty “Mom” at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, but all the nurses consider themselves part of tight knit family.
“Nurses are there for one another; they console on another,” says Maria.
SHARON COLEMAN & DEBBIE MICHOLAS
Debbie Micholas, BSN, RN, ONC, is a patient care services supervisor for the hospital’s 2 East and 2 South Patient Care Units. A nurse with Kenmore Mercy for nine years, Debbie recruited her mother Sharon Coleman as a hospital volunteer.
Having her mother serve as a volunteer in the Ambulatory Surgery Unit is a great way for the pair to spend more quality time together. Debbie has also observed that her mother is very happy as a volunteer. “She is so engaged when she talks with people,” she noted.
Debbie started her career in a chiropractic office. After experiencing the loss of a family member, she knew that she wanted to be a nurse. “I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. I have never looked back since I started down the path to nursing,” she said.
Watching her daughter excel as a nurse, and eventually achieving a management position, Sharon is very proud of Debbie. “She worked very hard to get where she is. I was happy to support her in any way possible to help her achieve her dreams.”
Staff at Kenmore Mercy are celebrating both National Hospital and Nurses’ Week this May.
