Baystate Nurse Receives Recognition For Excellence In Pediatric HIV Nursing

“Maripat is an inspiration to all of us who are lucky enough to work with her,” said Dr. Barbara W. Stechenberg, director, Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Baystate Medical Center Children’s Hospital.

According to the nomination form for the national award, the recipient of the ANAC Pediatric HIV Nursing Excellence Award is “someone who is a source of pride to self, peers, patients/clients and other colleagues. They bring knowledge, skill, and caring to children with HIV disease and their families. In essence, this award is given to a nurse who has made a difference in the lives of patients.”

In recognizing Toye at the ceremony, the ANAC noted she is “an accomplished nursing leader in pediatric infectious disease for Western Mass., who employs a culturally competent approach to nursing, and she has served as a mentor for other nurses working in her complex patient population. She has also developed training material for health care professionals and has facilitated HIV prevention care and treatment workshops in the United States.”

Toye was one of the first pediatric and perinatal HIV/AIDS nurses in Western Mass. committed to the care and treatment of women, infants and children with HIV. She coordinated the efforts of a multi-disciplinary team to care for pediatric patients and pregnant women diagnosed with HIV and developed plans for the early perinatal HIV treatment policies and pediatric inpatient and outpatient standards of HIV care.

Toye devotes her energies in the community to raising awareness for HIV/AIDS as consultant to the Head Start and Springfield and Longmeadow School Committees’ Health Advisory Boards, Department of Social Services AIDS Board Review, and the Longmeadow Board of Health. She has served as a nursing instructor on the faculties at American International College, Elms College, and the UMass, Amherst.