A special Mother’s Day gift of pride

Nurse Katie sobey, the youngest of 13 children, was recognized for her efforts in a medical emergency. She is pictured with her parents Barbara and Pete of Lynbrook.

Courtesy SNCH

In a ceremony held at South Nassau Communities Hospital, MedicAlert Foundation recognized Emergency Room nurse Katie Sobey for her coordination and partnership in assisting a member who experienced medical complications during Hurricane Sandy. Sobey was presented with the Extraordinary Meritorious Service Award by MedicAlert Foundation’s president and CEO, Andrew Wigglesworth. 
Wigglesworth applauded Sobey, of Lynbrook, for recognizing and responding to her patient’s MedicAlert ID, because in doing so she was able to immediately contact the Foundation’s emergency response team to retrieve her patient’s full medical history, list of medications, and special treatment instructions.
“Our member, Julie Roberts, was having difficulty breathing during her family’s emergency evacuation because of Hurricane Sandy,” Wigglesworth said. “She boarded a boat reserved for victims in need of medical attention, and upon arriving at the hospital, Julie was struggling to communicate. This is when she called the number on Julie’s MedicAlert ID and was provided information about her health condition, along with special treatment instructions which are required for Julie’s condition.”
South Nassau administrators and management staff, including Richard Murphy, president and CEO, and Susan Penque, Ph.D, senior vice president of patient care services, attended the ceremony. 
A resident of Long Beach, Sobey earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from York College, York, PA.  She began her employment with South Nassau in September of 2011, when she was selected to be in the Emergency Room Resident graduate program. She completed the emergency room program just weeks before Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. 
Sobey is the youngest in a family of 13 children. She said that her sister-in-law Christine played a big part in her inspiration to become a nurse. “I love how much she liked being a nurse … and I saw my mom working at hospital. I like the people I work with — we really work well as a team. We take care of the patients, and of each other.”