LOCAL NEWSPAPER HONORS WWAARC NURSING DIRECTOR AWARDS, TRIBUTES & DISTINCTIONS
In May, during National Nurse's Week, The Post Star did an interview and feature on Theresa Cantz, RN, Warren, Washington & Albany Counties ARC (WWAARC)'s nursing director. The full text of the story is below. "I grew up in Long Island and moved to Whitehall, New York with my family when I was 18 years old. I was not sure what I wanted to do for work. I went to college and was referred to Warren Washington Albany ARC (WWAARC) by my cousin. I started working there as a Direct Support Professional per diem at the age of 19. I loved it. I didn’t finish college when I first enrolled at after high school. I got married and had kids. While working at the ARC as the Director of Training, I saw how developmental disabilities nurses were in very high demand. That’s when I realized the time was right for me. I went back to school.
Now I’m the Director of Nursing at the WWAARC. We support people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in both residential homes and day services. It sounds cliché, but helping people is the best part about being a healthcare professional. Our team of nurses work so closely together to proactively look after the folks we support on our caseloads. We advocate across healthcare specialists for what is needed to promote the good health of our patients. In developmental disabilities nursing, you have a unique ability to build relationships with your patients – an opportunity that you don’t have in other clinical settings."
Theresa Cantz, right, receives the "Nurses: The Heart of Health Care" award from Julie Mosher of Glens Falls Hospital at SUNY Adirondack.
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