Six nurses will be honored when the Atlanta Black Nurses Association holds its Profiles in Nursing awards luncheon on April 30 at the Radisson Hotel Atlanta Northlake from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The recipients of the awards are Brenda Cherry, associate professor of nursing at Georgia Perimeter College; Sarah Glover, nurse manager of the Augusta VA Medical Center; Angela Guidry, instructor of nursing at Clayton College and State University; Luberta "Skip" McDonald, of Devereux Georgia Treatment Center and Southeast Regional coordinator of Nurses Christian Fellowship; Rhonda Scott, chief nursing officer for Grady Health System; and Ora Strickland, nursing professor at Emory University.

The guest speaker will be U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney. Ticket prices are $35. Partial proceeds will benefit the Atlanta Black Nurses Association scholarship fund.

For further information or to donate to the scholarship fund, contact Carolyne Richardson at 770-981- 9801 or crichrun@earthlink.net.

HOSPITALS MAKE TOP 100 LIST: Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta and Piedmont Fayette Hospital in Fayetteville are the only two Georgia health care facilities named to a list of the nation's 100 top hospitals by Solucient, a health care information company. The award recognizes hospitals that have achieved excellence in quality care, operational efficiency, financial performance and adaptation to the environment.

Piedmont Hospital was recognized as one of 20 top hospitals in the large community hospital category; Piedmont Fayette was selected as one of 20 top hospitals in the medium community hospital category. Both have been recognized in previous years.

The list is part of Solucient's National Benchmarks for Success study, which showed that the 100 top hospitals take the lead in setting new benchmarks for survival, safety, complication-free care and overall hospital operational performance. For information on the study, see www.100tophospitals.com.

CRITICAL CARE EXPOSITION: The National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition - the largest and most comprehensive trade show for nurses who care for critically ill patients - is coming to Atlanta May 19-24.

The expo will feature health care equipment, devices, supplies and pharmaceuticals, and will introduce participants to new products with the latest applications and features. National Teaching Institute courses are appropriate for bedside nurses, nurse educators, nurse managers, clinical nurse specialists and nurse practitioners who care for acutely and critically ill patients.

For information, call the American Association of Critical Care Nurses at 1-800-899-2226, or visit www.aacn.org/nti. Book hotel reservations by March 28 at 1-800-340-1840.

FUN RUN: The third annual Oh Nellie 5K Fun Run/Walk, sponsored by the Nurses Alumni Association of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, will be April 9 at 8 a.m. at Lullwater Park in Atlanta.

The entry fee is $20. An official Oh Nellie 5K race T-shirt is included with all paid registrations. Prizes will be awarded to the race winners following the event.

Net proceeds from the event will support the School of Nursing Centennial Scholarship Fund. Individuals who are unable to attend the event but wish to support nursing scholarships can register as phantom runners.

To celebrate the centennial anniversary of the School of Nursing, the Fun Run will be followed by a free Centennial Dash (100 yards) for children ages 10 and younger.

To register, call 404-727-6185 or go to www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1203010.

GSU LUNCHEON: The Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing at Georgia State University in Atlanta will hold an alumni luncheon on May 19. The speaker will be Rhonda Scott, chief nursing officer of Grady Health System in Atlanta.

Those interested in attending should contact Jennifer Anderson at 404-651-3976 or janderson@gsu.edu.

ENROLLMENT INCREASE: According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, enrollment in entry-level baccalaureate programs increased 10.6 percent in 2004. However, colleges and universities denied admission to 26,340 applicants in 2004, up from 15,944 in 2003. The primary reasons: insufficient numbers of faculty, clinical placement sites and classroom space.

ACCN's data confirm that interest in nursing careers continues to grow, due in part to outreach by nursing schools and image campaigns launched by Johnson & Johnson and the Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow coalition. About 70 percent of funds raised by The Johnson & Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future have been allocated to faculty development and capacity expansion grants for nursing programs.