June 2025 Honoree
Orlando Float Pool
Ricardo Martinez- Alicea ANM, RN • Sara Potts ANM, RN • Rafael Cordero RN • Keishla Borrero Jeffrey RN • Andrew Cramer RN • Apollo Gaita RN • Sharahn Johnson RN • Vanessa Lorenezo Rosario RN • Yunia Rivero Randiche RN • Angie Sarmiento Narvaez RN • Steven Velazques RN • Jasmin Weiloszynski RN • Dulce Badilles RN • Luz Cuenca RN • Joceyn Dampil RN • Sharahn Eijansantos RN • Rommel Empeynado RN • Shirley Garcia RN • Rosemaire Parameo RN • Janet Rivera- Jimenez RN • Regie Roque RN • Waleska Serrano Fuentes RN • Tracy Tekemy RN • Siham Dahan NA • Nirva Daut NA • Wisline Francois NA • Marie Frederic NA • Sarah Gonzalez NA • Natacha Labissiere NA • Maire Leon NA • Monique Lomax NA • Olga Lopez Londono NA • Makayla Maggi NA • Xiomara Maldonado Labrador NA • Virginiona Mathurin NA • Taniesha Morris NA • More Noel NA • Bebi Budhram NA • Bridget Hurst NA • Pamela Kattick NA • Emah Onyenweaku NA • Laica Telisma Baguidy NA • Jael Bedsole RN • Ace De Guzman RN • Chana Schroeder RN • Kimberly Viera RN • Yonette Crandon NA
I would like to recognize the Lake Nona Float Pool Team for their outstanding dedication to innovation, critical Veteran-driven health goals, and support of the pathway to excellence through wellbeing and leadership, both for themselves and others.
This team has partnered with Whole Health to truly become a system of care that supports Veterans' whole health, their caregivers, and survivors. The best health care outcomes occur when patients are personally involved in their own health. Treating the entire person, and not just a particular symptom or disease, allows the VA to not only address a Veteran’s immediate health concerns but also to consider what the Veteran needs and wants to have a fully productive and fulfilling life.
The Float Pool Team has embraced this philosophy by implementing a holistic nurse and wellbeing project that includes:
1. Pathway: Outreach and education about Whole Health services.
2. Wellbeing: Providing access to interventions that can be used both on the unit and at home to support continued recovery.
3. Complementary and Integrative Health: Educating about CIH modalities available throughout the Orlando VAHCS that can aid in healing and how Veterans can access these services post-discharge.
In addition, this team has wholeheartedly embraced a growth mindset by engaging in various Whole Health education opportunities to ensure the dissemination of the latest information and interventions to Veterans who are ready to embrace their health and wellness goals.
This team also ensures that consults are placed for Veterans seeking ongoing Whole Health services post-discharge and engages in validated wellbeing tools like the Well-Being Signs to assist with tracking Veterans' progress over time and to evaluate the efficacy of interventions.
I would also like to highlight the leaders of this team. Ms. Sharahn Johnson and Ms. Makayla Maggie have both taken on collateral duties and have been identified as "Wellness Peer Leaders." In this role, they support Veterans and employees to ensure the culture of wellbeing is infused in all that this team does daily.
Without them, and the supportive leadership of Ms. Candace McNulty, Ms. Sara Potts, and Mr. Ricardo Martinez-Alcea, this project would not be sustainable or successful for Veterans or employees.
This team and their leadership exemplify Changemakers, and they are whom I look to when thinking of systemic Whole Health change in action within the Orlando VAHCS. They embraced the challenge of Whole Health System Implementation Efforts and found a way to make them accessible to their setting. They have also succeeded in increasing Whole Health engagement and creating a system of transition from inpatient to outpatient care, thus improving continuity of care.
Congratulations again to the Lake Nona Float Pool team for their exemplary work!
This team has partnered with Whole Health to truly become a system of care that supports Veterans' whole health, their caregivers, and survivors. The best health care outcomes occur when patients are personally involved in their own health. Treating the entire person, and not just a particular symptom or disease, allows the VA to not only address a Veteran’s immediate health concerns but also to consider what the Veteran needs and wants to have a fully productive and fulfilling life.
The Float Pool Team has embraced this philosophy by implementing a holistic nurse and wellbeing project that includes:
1. Pathway: Outreach and education about Whole Health services.
2. Wellbeing: Providing access to interventions that can be used both on the unit and at home to support continued recovery.
3. Complementary and Integrative Health: Educating about CIH modalities available throughout the Orlando VAHCS that can aid in healing and how Veterans can access these services post-discharge.
In addition, this team has wholeheartedly embraced a growth mindset by engaging in various Whole Health education opportunities to ensure the dissemination of the latest information and interventions to Veterans who are ready to embrace their health and wellness goals.
This team also ensures that consults are placed for Veterans seeking ongoing Whole Health services post-discharge and engages in validated wellbeing tools like the Well-Being Signs to assist with tracking Veterans' progress over time and to evaluate the efficacy of interventions.
I would also like to highlight the leaders of this team. Ms. Sharahn Johnson and Ms. Makayla Maggie have both taken on collateral duties and have been identified as "Wellness Peer Leaders." In this role, they support Veterans and employees to ensure the culture of wellbeing is infused in all that this team does daily.
Without them, and the supportive leadership of Ms. Candace McNulty, Ms. Sara Potts, and Mr. Ricardo Martinez-Alcea, this project would not be sustainable or successful for Veterans or employees.
This team and their leadership exemplify Changemakers, and they are whom I look to when thinking of systemic Whole Health change in action within the Orlando VAHCS. They embraced the challenge of Whole Health System Implementation Efforts and found a way to make them accessible to their setting. They have also succeeded in increasing Whole Health engagement and creating a system of transition from inpatient to outpatient care, thus improving continuity of care.
Congratulations again to the Lake Nona Float Pool team for their exemplary work!
Thank you for your exceptional compassion, advocacy, and dedication to your patients. You truly make a difference.
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