Jews in the D

26 | AUGUST 27 • 2020 

I

t takes a special person 
to be an obstetric nurse. 
The profession demands 
dedication, compassion — in 
short, someone whose caring 
commitment literally brings 
new life into the world.
If that someone is also an 
advocate for social action 
by helping hospital patients 
exercise their right to vote, 
then she represents some-

one whose career path has 
brought both challenges and 
rewards.
Lisa Schavrien, RN, BSN, 
46, of Manhattan is just such 
a person. The former West 
Bloomfielder, who attended 
Temple Israel and graduated 
from University of Detroit’
s 
McCauley School of Nursing, 
today works at Lenox Hill 
Hospital, where she’
s served 

as an OB nurse, advanced to 
assistant nurse manager of 
labor and delivery and, in 
2014, created the obstetric 
nurse navigation program, 
which streamlines and per-
sonalizes patients’
 needs.
It is Schavrien’
s continu-
ing commitment to help-
ing patients that led her to 
realize the importance of 
being able to participate in 
an activity that defines the 
American democratic system 
— voting.
“In 2016, a patient was 
admitted after her water 
broke prematurely,” she said. 
“She felt very strongly about 
voting, and since I’
m about 
‘
finding the yes,’
 I was com-
mitted to finding a way to 
obtain her absentee ballot. 
While working to accomplish 
this, I was shocked to learn 
there’
s no process in most 
states for a person to vote 
who’
s unable to get to a poll-
ing station due to unexpect-
ed circumstances.
“My colleague Erin Smith 
suggested we formalize what 
I did for that patient and 
institute a hospital initiative 
for the 2018 midterm elec-
tion. Despite the barriers we 
had to overcome, we finally 
got the Albany board of elec-
tions to grant us the ability 
to make obtaining absentee 
ballots possible.”
Schavrien personally saw 
how important voting was 
to patients, which was the 
impetus for her action to 
assist the sometimes-for-
gotten population of those 
unexpectedly hospitalized 
who still want to vote. A 

patient was in the hospital 
on Election Day, Nov. 6, and 
wanted to vote, but didn’
t 
think it would be possible. 
“He told me he had voted 
in every election since 
Carter, and he wasn’
t about 
to stop,” she said. 
The following excerpts are 
from a letter of commenda-
tion he wrote:
“I found out it was too 
late to get an absentee ballot 
… the deadline was the day 
before and I was having a 
surgical procedure that day. 
I thought I would miss the 
opportunity to vote until I 
met Nurse Lisa Schavrien. 
She offered to drive to 
Queens, to the Board of 
Elections to get the form … 
to obtain an absentee ballot. 
“I was so grateful for 
her willingness to do this. 
I signed the form and she 
drove back to Queens and 
went before a judge to lobby 
on my behalf in order for me 
to vote. The judge granted 
me an absentee ballot. She 
drove back to the hospital, 
and I filled out the form and 
she drove back to Queens 
and dropped off the ballot.
“I was able to vote, some-
thing I very much wanted to 
do.”
What started with 
Schavrien and Smith has 
grown into a team of hospital 
volunteers and friends who 
are passionate about voting 
advocacy.
“Our campaign has been 
well received, and we won 
the president’
s award from 
Northwell Health for our 
region. We’
re now working 

This Nurse
Delivers … In More 
Ways Than One 

Former West Bloomfi
 elder ensures 
those in the hospital can still vote.

JUDY GREENWALD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

continued on page 28

LISA SCHAVRIEN

Together with nursing 
colleague Erin Smith, Lisa 
Schavrien (left) promotes the 
importance of voting.