Click here for a larger view

(Honesdale, June 28, 2007)… “We used to deliver babies all the way down the hall in another room.  Now we have birthing suites,” said Joyce Bannon, RN at Wayne Memorial Hospital’s New Beginnings unit.  Bannon was reminiscing during the hospital’s 33rd annual Service Awards program honoring the dedication of long-time employees. Bannon has been at Wayne Memorial for 30 years.

       “Today, moms labor and deliver in the same room—an LDRP or Labor-Delivery-Recovery and Post-Partum suite,”  Bannon continued. “We don’t have to wheel the mother anywhere, it’s much more pleasant for families!”

      The Awards ceremony traditionally honors employees at five year increments of service—Ruth Longmore, RN, topped this year’s list with 35 years, followed by Bannon and colleague Susan Marquard, RN.

      “I came to Wayne Memorial in 1977,” said Marquard, “mostly to get my kids out of the city. I’m from the Bronx. And Honesdale has been a wonderful place, a great place to raise our children.”

      “So much has changed in healthcare—and the world— since I arrived,” chimed in Maggie Fontana, who has worked in the WMH Laboratory for 25 years.  A power-point presentation at the ceremony backed her up: the average gas price in 1982 was $1.30 a gallon. Today it’s $2.95 for the same amount.

      “We used to deliver all our (lab) results to the ER, all the floors by ourselves. Today we have a third shift, but back