Kit Chaisson is the Nurse coordinator for the Pediatric Clinic. She is one of the kindest, most caring, clinically skilled and empathetic nurses I have ever known. Every Christmas, she selects 2-3 pediatric families to help through the holidays, and calls the parents to get the ages and sizes of each member of the family, including parents and grandparents. Kit then communicates the needs of the family to the staff, and in no time, an abundance of gifts start arriving. The look on the parents' faces as they pick up the gifts days before the holiday tells it all. Often times, these packages represent the only gifts these children will get during the holidays.

But this is only the beginning of the story. These past 2 summers, in an effort to promote healthy food choices, she worked tirelessly with Beth Donnelly and a local farm to donate fresh vegetables for families in lower income brackets. Many times she stayed late after work organizing this project for the benefit of children and families. Kit personally contacted families to get them involved in this nutrition program. Coordination frequently involves multiple phone calls, often through an interpreter, to ensure clear communication with the families. Kit could often be seen trudging through the lobby with sacks of packaged food, preparing for families to pick up food that day. Nothing ever went to waste, as Kit made certain all of the food went to someone in need.

After an exhausting day in the clinic, Kit goes above and beyond, making phone calls to the Department of Children and Families, making sure children are safe. She won't go home until she can rest assured she has done everything within her power to help children in situations that are less than ideal. She often works with parents who are working through depression, addictions, abusive relationships, and poverty. Through it all she is non-judgmental, culturally sensitive, and gets the job done to obtain the best healthcare for all involved.