Wyndmoor resident, Betty Long, RN, MHA, has been elected President of the Board of The Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. The Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania is a statewide organization that focuses on recognizing exemplary nursing practice, as well as granting scholarships to students pursuing degrees in nursing at all levels.

Long is currently President/CEO and Founder of Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates, a national patient advocacy organization with a team of nurses with clinical knowledge and experience managing and coordinating care. She founded that organization in October, 2003. She has been a registered nurse since 1986.

“After guiding several elderly family members through healthcare emergencies, I wondered ‘What happens to patients who don’t have a nurse in the family?,’ Long said. “I knew having a nurse who could serve as a dedicated patient advocate would benefit patients and their families; so, after providing services to my friends and proving the model worked, I developed a business plan and incorporated Guardian Nurses later that same year.”

“I am thrilled to work with the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania as its new Board President. Moving forward, we will continue to honor the impact that Florence Nightingale has made in the field of nursing, while supporting scholarships for student nurses at all career levels,” Long continued. “I have always admired Florence Nightingale, who was truly ‘the first nurse advocate,’ so much so that her ‘guardian spirit’ serves as our company namesake. In the spirit of ‘The Lady with the Lamp,’ Guardian Nurses ‘lights the way’ through the healthcare maze for thousands of patients and their families.”