Chantal Branco, BS, MSN, director, Patient Care Services at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, made local headlines as the first person at Lehigh Valley Health Network to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020.

Branco is again making national headlines as an American Association of Critical-Care Nurses 2022 Circle of Excellence award recipient.

Among 16 nurses honored by AACN, Branco demonstrates an exceptional commitment to achieving excellent outcomes in the care of critically ill patients and their families.

Branco is known to her staff as an inclusive, respectful and passionate leader.

During COVID-19 surges, Branco worked alongside clinical nurses caring for patients in the medical-surgical intensive care unit on days, nights and weekends.

“Chantal is an effective communicator who fosters a team environment and has a vision and plan for the future that includes staff engagement and involvement,” Katie Didyoung, RN, LVH - Cedar Crest, said.

“She promotes a positive work environment, exhibits LVHN’s core values and genuinely cares about the well-being of her staff.”

Circle of Excellence Award recipients are evaluated on relentless promotion of patient-driven excellence; strong communication skills; true collaboration; effective decision-making; meaningful recognition of others; ability to transform thinking, structures and processes; and ability to address challenges and remove barriers to excellent patient care and achieve visible results through leadership, according to a news release from Lehigh Valley Health Network.

“During these challenging times, these health care professionals demonstrate an exceptional commitment to achieving excellent outcomes in the care of acutely and critically ill patients and their families,” AACN President Beth Wathen said.

“The Circle of Excellence recipients are truly rooted in strength, charting a path toward a more equitable future in health care, one in which nurses are valued as the leaders they are. Their efforts ensure that every patient gets the excellent care they deserve and every nurse has the skills they need to provide that care.”