After years of providing exceptional service with our ministry, we are so excited to congratulate Terry Romano on her well-deserved retirement!
While Terry has decided to hang up her stethoscope after 47 years, her impact on the nursing profession, the patients she has cared for and the team members she worked alongside will be felt for years to come.
Terry began her career at Mercy Hospital working on “6C”, the surgical urology unit. She later joined the emergency department in the early 80s, working both day and afternoon shifts.
“The emergency department was intense and demanding, with only the best and most dedicated nursing staff,” Barb Blochowski, Terry’s dear friend and colleague, shares.
Terry’s role as a nurse in this Level 1 Trauma Center was an exciting and challenging one. The first Toledo Fire Department paramedics came to Mercy Hospital emergency department for their training, so then then Regional Emergency Medical Service of Northwest Ohio (RESMO) was born. It has since become the emergency response system that we know today. Terry was at the forefront of this exciting new development, providing direction to first responder paramedics in the field for treatment at the scene.
Mercy Hospital may have closed its doors in 1996, but Terry’s commitment to nursing did not falter.
As various positions within our ministry were offered, Terry saw an opportunity to work as a community nurse. This position involved working under a grant-funded program and partnering with Toledo Public Schools to reduce school absence caused by head lice. It also included making countless home visits to provide nursing support to at-risk communities.
Terry’s dedication to nursing and our ministry continued as she moved on to a full-time position with our occupational health team where she supported staff with medical needs at the local Chrysler plant. Later, she moved back within the four walls of the hospital to our employee health team, where she has now recently retired from.
And who is one of the people who has had a front row seat to Terry’s incredible nursing career all these years? Her daughter, Allie Richard, of course! Allie also works with us at Mercy Health as a Strategic Consumer Marketing Manager.
Allie (pictured above, left with Terry) shares she is so proud of her mom for everything she has been able to accomplish in the name of helping others. This family will for sure have a lot to celebrate this coming Mother’s Day weekend!
Terry, we thank you for your years of service. Your absence will be deeply felt by those who have had the privilege to work alongside of you. Enjoy this new chapter of your life!
Not only is National Nurses Month in May, but National Nurses Week is May 6 to May 12.
To all our nurses, we thank you for the excellent care you provide our patients every day! Read more of our nurses’ stories to celebrate.
Also, if you’re a nurse or a health care professional, we invite you to explore and pursue a career with us.
