NAHN Denver January Holiday Celebration. We welcomed the New year with great company and food! We are looking forward to a great 2024, Join us!!

This month we are honoring Maria Kneusel, who was elected by the National Association of Hispanic Nurses as “Hispanic Nurse of the Year”.

Honoring Etzany Diaz Ocampo, RN, BSN

This month’s honored NAHN Denver member is Etzany (Etzy) Diaz Ocampo, who recently was awarded the “Rising Star Award” from the University of Colorado’s Alumni Association. Etzany came to the US with her parents when she was 1 and ½ years old. She went to school in the Jeffco Public School system. As the oldest child of three, Etzy had to learn to lead from a young age. She knows of the hardships of having to find your own resources and help when struggling in school and appreciates the value of mentors. Life as an undocumented immigrant can be very discouraging but Etzy persevered through life’s challenges, and when DACA was passed she seized her rightful American dream. Thanks to her parents, Deanay and Jaime she enrolled in nursing school and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Nursing in 2018. Etzy took a position at University of Colorado Hospital as a New Grad. I have known her since that time as I was lucky enough to be one of her preceptors. Etzy has a passion for Oncology and our patient population. She is an inspiration to anyone who has a dream, and to anyone who faces challenges. Etzy manages to do it all, being a mom to two adorable babies a wife to her husband David, a daughter, a friend and an amazing oncology nurse. Please listen to Hannah Harman’s nomination and read Etzy’s speech.

Etzy: you are a true inspiration

During the months of October, and November 2020, NAHN Denver partnered with St Anthony Health Foundation and was able to administer 1,100 doses of Flu vaccines to at-risk populations. With the amazing support of Vuela For Health as the organizer, NAHN was able to deliver the flu shots throughout the Denver metro and the Colorado Springs areas in several churches as well as the Mexican consulate.

Thank you to our NAHN members for volunteering their time and knowledge and serving our communities. We particularly want to thank the Saint Anthony Health Foundation, our past president, Maria Kneusel, and Maria Pineda of Vuela for Health for organizing this event.

Congratulations to our very own Ruby Martinez! She has received the NAHN Legacy Award through National. Thank you to Sally Tenorio and Gale Garcia for nominating her. Ruby, you are very deserving of this esteemed award. CONGRATULATIONS!!

On January 4, 2020 we held our annual Holiday Celebration. Our President-Elect Darci Martinez generously opened her home to us. We had a ton of fun catching up with friends, making new ones and playing Loteria!