Four U.S. Nurses Receive Red Cross Medal

Four U.S. Nurses Receive Red Cross Medal

A moving ceremony at American Red Cross national headquarters paid tribute to an elite group of nurses at the forefront of the profession

By Tom Goehner, Historical Outreach, National Headquarters

Friday, December 07, 2007 — Every two years since 1920, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has honored nurses and volunteer health aids worldwide who have shown exceptional courage and devotion to the sick, wounded and disabled in times of war and peace.

From left to right: Lt. Col. Steven Drennan, Catherine Head, Marilyn Self, Brenna Aileo. (Photo by Bill Crandall)

The ICRC award is named in honor of British-born nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, who is credited with founding the modern nursing profession. In the mid-19th century, Florence Nightingale was able to elevate nursing from an occupation akin to servant’s work to an internationally recognized healthcare profession with consistent training and standards.

Since Nightingale’s time, nursing has made enormous strides in education, skills and responsibilities. In addition to working in a wide variety of settings and continuing to manage traditional patient care, many nurses have become leaders in the development of complex systems of medical assessment and treatment. This year’s medal winners demonstrate that Nightingale’s pioneering spirit and creativity continue to live on today.

2007 Florence Nightingale Medal Recipients

Brenna Aileo is a retired Army nurse whose close friends encouraged her to volunteer with the American Red Cross in response to the events of September 11. She distinguished herself by deploying to multiple disasters and developing key disaster training programs. In 2004, Aileo stepped in as health consultant for the Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces. In this position Aileo assesses their health status and clears staff for overseas deployment. As she received her award, Aileo described the Red Cross as a series of individual threads that form a “blanket” of care that can cover us all.

Lt. Col. Steven Drennan is a nurse in the U.S. Army who has responded to conflicts and disasters and the ongoing health needs of communities worldwide. Drennan led a nursing team that developed a course for Iraqi ambulance teams and a burn management training program for Iraqi physicians and nurses. In addition, he successfully submitted grant proposals that provide burn treatment equipment and supplies for a Baghdad Hospital and created the Iraqi National Trauma Center, which offers clinical rotations within the Iraqi medical community. In his acknowledgements, Drennan praised the dedication and inspiration of Iraqi doctors and nurses in the face of so much adversity. He also thanked the Iraqi Red Crescent with whom he felt he shared the award.

Catherine Head has dedicated her career to improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Prior to serving as an American Red Cross volunteer, Head worked extensively as a nurse midwife in urban and rural settings. She then established one of the first full service birth centers in Pennsylvania. Along with Head’s many Red Cross duties, she established a process for deploying a healthy work force during disaster relief operations. As a result of Head’s new screening process, fewer relief workers need to be sent home in the middle of their assignments.

Marilyn Self has worked in paid and volunteer capacities with the American Red Cross for more than 25 years. Self has played a key role in recruiting, developing and effectively engaging nurses as health professional volunteers at the local, national and international levels. She improved the quality of health services available to victims of disasters through the development of a partnership to train public health nurses for work in shelters throughout Georgia. In addition, she coordinated Red Cross health activities in New York after September 11, in Georgia for Hurricane Katrina evacuees, and for many operations before and since. Self is a member of the Red Cross Critical Response Team and has led the health service response for multiple aviation disasters. As she thanked all those who helped her receive this honor, Self credited the American Red Cross for allowing her to grow professionally and face new challenges.

The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.