Nurses have always deserved our love and respect. The lengths nurses have gone to support patients and their families during the global coronavirus pandemic only highlight that. Townsquare Media of the Hudson Valley is honoring a different Hudson Valley nursing professional each day during Nurses Week. For Monday, we're pleased to recognize Diane Quaranta, who was nominated by her husband.

Diane Quaranta has been a nurse at the Orange Regional Medical Center Intensive Care Unit for over 42 years.

"She has been working 14-hour shifts and comes home mentally and physically exhausted, but she gets a great deal of satisfaction helping her patients recover."

"There is nothing in the world she would rather be doing," her husband John Quaranta wrote in a letter nominating Diane to be recognized during Nurses Week. "She loves her job and treats her patients like gold."

Diane's knowledge and experience has made her a popular staffer for nursing students to shadow and learn from. When Horton Medical Center merged with Arden Hill Hospital to form the Orange Regional Medical Center campus in 2011, Diane assisted with designing the floor plan for the ICU Unit, as well as setting up supplies and equipment, John said. Diane has also served on various committees at the hospital over the years, including most recently on the Rapid Response Team.

As the hospital has seen an influx of coronavirus patients in recent weeks, Diane has been putting in long hours assisting seriously ill patients.

"She has been working 14-hour shifts and comes home mentally and physically exhausted, but she gets a great deal of satisfaction helping her patients recover," John wrote.

John marveled at Diane's bedside manner and her dedication to comforting patients and answering any questions they might have.

"It takes a special person to be an ICU nurse, and she is that special person!" John wrote.

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