Hospital honors 2017 Cameos of Caring recipient

Uniontown Hospital is proud to announce that Maryann E. Crawford, RN, Cardiac Cath Lab, has received a Cameos of Caring Award from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Nursing, for excellence in her field.

Crawford, a clinical shift coordinator in the Cath Lab, is a 25-year nursing veteran who said that she couldn’t imagine being anything but a nurse.

The 1992 Uniontown Hospital School of Nursing graduate said that she began “nursing” as a child when her older cousins, who were in nursing school, showed her how to take blood pressure and listen to heartbeats. Crawford tested her new knowledge on her parents, taking their blood pressure and listening to their hearts and said she has never looked back.

“Making a difference in someone’s life is very important to me,” Crawford said. “Being a cardiac nurse in a cath lab – you don’t know what each day will bring … to see someone so sick having a 100 percent blockage opened up with a stent and restoring blood flow to a deprived area is so satisfying … knowing I was able to help in critical situations and make a difference in that patient’s life mean so much to me.”

Uniontown Hospital Executive Director of Critical Care Services, Sandy Thorpe, said that Crawford is a blessing to the hospital – both for her patients and her coworkers.

“I am so proud of Maryann. She is an exceptional nurse and an even better person,” Thorpe said. “I am thankful every day that she is part of our life-saving team in Cardiology at Uniontown Hospital.”

Crawford said that acting as an advocate for her patients and treating each patient with compassion are two of the most important things she accomplishes day-in and day-out.

That dedication has resulted in numerous commendations and recognitions from Uniontown Hospital – including a Service Excellence Award for her exceptional work, but Crawford said it is the interaction with her patients and the opportunity to shape the lives around her through service to others that she finds the most rewarding.

“Several weeks ago, my daughter who is 13 said to me, ‘Mom, I was talking about you at lunch today, about all the stuff you love to do at work, and I am very proud of you.’ That meant the world to me.”

Crawford was honored Nov. 4, along with other recipients of the award from across the region, at the 19th annual Cameos of Caring Awards Gala at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

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