Local nurse and environmental advocate honored

Warwick -—Jeanette Maliha-Nebus, a local nurse who has done extensive work as an environmental advocate for health, has received the 2005 Media Award from the New York State Nurses Association. By using print, broadcast media, lecturing, and grassroots lobbying, Maliha-Nebus inspired others to join her in a movement to promote public awareness of the dangers of pollution and to oppose placement of two major industrial facilities in a New York county that already ranked in the upper 20 percent of polluted counties in the nation. She is a retired Orange County registered nurse who was born and raised in Warwick. She has been a former nurse instructor, a nurse supervisor in a psychiatric and geriatric facilities, and a substitute school nurse. She was honored at an awards banquet during the New York State Nurses Association’s convention in Atlantic City this past October. The award recognizes outstanding professional endeavors that protect the public and advance the profession of nursing. To be eligible, the honoree must portray a positive image of nurses and nursing, be effective in conveying the contribution of nurses and nursing to the public health and welfare, possess clarity, impact, and creativity of presentation. She also presented her poster, “Impact of Industrial Pollutants on the Environment and Health,” to the nursing departments of Mount Saint Mary College, Orange County Community College, and the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Orange County Executive Edward Diana commended Maliha-Nebus’s accomplishment with a certificate of recognition. In November she was commended for her achievements as a health, safety, and environmental advocate with a certificate of merit from the Wallkill Town Board and Supervisor John Ward. “Her work has been directed toward bringing the nursing profession into the 21st century in order to prepare nurses to meet healthcare needs in their communities and throughout the nation,” wrote a colleague. She was honored by hundreds of nurses from both New York and New Jersey at the awards banquet. Maliha-Nebus is a member of the New York State Nurses Association District 18, the International Council of Nurses, and the American Academy of Nursing’s Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science, among others.