Gurnee resident named 2013 scholarship recipient

Melanie Dacumos Yoingco, of Gurnee, was recently named the 2013 recipient of the Marybeth Monaghen/ARDS Foundation/NA/RHA Graduate Advanced Practice Nursing Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded by the ARDS Foundation, Nursing Assembly and Respiratory Health Association to support the educational pursuits of a nursing practitioner who cares for and treats patients with respiratory disease. Melanie attends Loyola University School of Nursing where she is pursuing an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Degree.

Melanie has 20 plus years of experience in acute care nursing. She is currently an Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse at Advocate Condell Hospital in Libertyville, where she cares for patients with chronic illnesses such as acute congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and ARDS. She is also a Critical Care Float Registered Nurse, ER-ICU-PACU, at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. Melanie received her bachelors of science in nursing from United Doctors Medical Center in Quezon City, Philippines.

The Marybeth Monaghen/ARDS Foundation/NA/RHA Graduate Advanced Practice Nursing Scholarship was created in 2008, in honor of Marybeth Monaghen who passed away from ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) in August of 1998. She was a registered nurse, a daughter, a sister and a friend.

The ARDS Foundation is a national not for profit organization whose mission is to raise awareness, increase education and assist in funding medical research while providing a forum for all of those in the ARDS Community. Respiratory Health Association has been a lung health leader in metropolitan Chicago since 1906, and the association's mission is to promote healthy lungs and fight lung disease through research, advocacy and education. The Nursing Assembly is a network of professionals who support Respiratory Health Association's education, advocacy and research programs.