PEOPLE OF INTEREST
The HEALTH CARE TEACHER
101
BY WILLI MILLER
Cynthia Jorgensen explains
her years-long dedication
to supporting local blood
donation in three simple
words: “It’s about life.”
The Vero Beach resident has spent
much of her life in the health field. Jorgensen
was an intensive care unit nurse
at Indian River Memorial Hospital from
1982 to 1995, before it became Indian
River Medical Center. She earned her
critical care registered nurse credentials
during those 13 years, was nurse manager
of pediatrics and urology for three
of them and ended her career at IRMC
as ICU quality assurance coordinator.
For the past 20 years, Jorgensen’s experience
in the medical field has helped
mold health-care professionals of the
future. As a Vero Beach High School
teacher in the health science program
with fellow teacher Cindy Livings, she
introduces students to what they can
expect in their studies after high school.
“Our students have gone on to become
physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists,
radiology techs and many, many
other health-care professionals.”
At IRMH, Jorgensen says, “I worked
with the folks in the blood bank. ...
When I began teaching, it just seemed
natural for the program’s associated
organization, Health Occupations
Students of America, to work with the
Indian River County Blood Bank to tap
into our student body to increase the
donations and to kindle a lifetime of
blood-donating habits.”
Three years ago, OneBlood Inc. was
formed when Florida’s Blood Centers,
Florida Blood Services and Community
Blood Bank of South Florida merged
into a center that provides blood to
more than 200 hospitals in Florida,
Georgia and Alabama. With OneBlood,
Jorgensen sponsors four blood drives at
Vero Beach High School every year, collecting
more than 200 units each time.
She is proud of the students who get
involved in the program. “Besides the
huge numbers of blood we muster up
for our community, this endeavor is a
wonderful opportunity for leadership
for our kids in the program. You should
see our kids run this drive! We process
about 250 potential donors in a 7-hour
ED DRONDOSKI
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