New York City, (November 13, 2006) - JoAnn Love, MSN, RN, Administrative Nurse Manager at Montefiore Medical Center, has been named by ADVANCE For Nurses as one of its 2006 Best Nurse Leaders. She was named the Best Nurse Leader in the "Courage & Respect" category for the Greater New York/New Jersey Metro Area.

Each year, a panel of nurses, managers, executives and administrators from the esteemed national magazine selects the nurses from hundreds of entries whose daily efforts to improve both patient care and healthcare practice may otherwise go unnoticed.

Love, who joined Montefiore in 2000, was hired to lead the inpatient psychiatric unit and to implement newly developed standards of behavioral health nursing set by various regulatory agencies. She tackled these challenges by establishing clear policies, articulating fair and equal standards for staff and asking each Montefiore associate to sign a pledge to strive toward the standards for Montefiore Excellence.

"Doing the right thing is, more often than not, not the easiest option in the short term and often requires more time and energy than doing the easy thing," said Love. "In the long term, of course it's the right decision."

William Donoghue, RN, the staff nurse who nominated Love for her award, elaborated, "What sets her apart from others is her courage. She has the courage to do the right thing. Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing. In the end, it's all about courage. Guts. It's like the Cowardly Lion said, 'What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the ape in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got? Courage!'"

Consistently doing the right thing, drawing upon courage to stay the course, Love has earned the respect of not only her own patients and staff, but also colleagues from throughout the hospital. George Como, administrative director, Behavioral Health Services Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, proudly said, "This Award exemplifies the high standards of Montefiore Excellence and our Excellent Nursing Staff."

Love is an ANCC certified clinical specialist in adult psychiatric and mental health nursing and a certified instructor in nonviolent crisis intervention, Crisis Prevention Institute, Inc. (CPI). She received her MSN in psychiatric nursing from the Yale University School of Nursing and her BSN from the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing and Health. Love is a resident of Pleasantville, NY.

 # # #

#40/11/06