Columbia Nursing’s Marie Carmel Garcon Named Nurse Practitioner of the Year by The Nurse Practitioner Association New York State

New York, NY- Marie Carmel Garcon, DNP, Columbia University School of Nursing, has been named 2017 Nurse Practitioner of the Year, by The Nurse Practitioner Association New York State (NPA). The award was presented to Garcon at the NPA’s 33rd Annual Conference on October 21st in Saratoga Springs, New York.  

Garcon leads the House Calls services at ColumbiaDoctors Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Group, the faculty practice of Columbia Nursing, where she provides primary care directly to Washington Heights and Inwood residents who have difficulty leaving their homes.

“I want to give patients the best possible quality care in their home,” Garson said of the service. “It enables them to stay safe, happy and healthy, and that’s important to me.”

Garcon oversees her patients’ care as she would in a clinical setting, she sets up specialty visits—like X-rays or blood work-- in her patients’ homes, and manages their overall care. She has been serving the Columbia University Medical Center community for more than 28 years, and, according to the NPA, Garcon is being awarded for her outstanding commitment to providing compassionate care.

“Dr. Garcon has extensive experience working on the front lines of intensive care and oncology units and is able to advocate for patients and their families giving voice to those who cannot speak for themselves due to illness,” the NPA said. “Among her many noteworthy accomplishments over her 20-year career as a family nurse practitioner, Dr. Garcon established a support group for patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer.”

Stephen Ferrara, DNP, associate dean of clinical affairs at Columbia University School of Nursing and Executive Director of The NPA, said of the award, “As the role of NPs continues to evolve and expand, what remains is the constant commitment to evidence-based, compassionate, and high-quality care for all patients. Dr. Garcon lives by this commitment every day, through her hand-work, empathy, and spirit that she dedicates not only to her patients, but to her colleagues.”

The NPA has been recognizing a Nurse Practitioner of the Year since 1987.