Kleinhans retired after 44 years as a registered nurse, supervisor, and manager, first at the former E.J. Noble Hospital in Alexandria Bay, and at Carthage Hospital since 2001.
“We come together to honor a woman who has served our patients with compassion and professionalism,” Rich Duvall, Carthage Area Hospital CEO, said in a news release.
“We sincerely thank you, Mary, for your dedicated service during an honorable career as a registered nurse.”
Duvall presented Kleinhans with a plaque “for meritorious service” and a certificate of merit from New York State Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R–Black River), honoring her career.
Kleinhans said she was drawn to nursing as a young woman while growing up in the St. Lawrence County community of Morristown, per the release. She graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh in 1973 as a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
To those considering a call to the nursing profession, Kleinhans offered some advice, “Really look at all the different aspects of nursing that are available today. There are so many more opportunities for young people than when I started.”
Carthage Area Hospital was established as a not-for-profit rural community hospital in 1965. It operates today as a fully accredited 25-bed critical access hospital, serving about 83,000 residents in Jefferson, northern Lewis, and southern St. Lawrence counties.