Mary Lou Messina Nursing Scholarship Fund

Mary Lou Messina was a Registered Nurse at the WCA Hospital from 1979-2004. She worked in the Special Care Unit, Recovery Room, Pain Management, and Ambulatory Surgery Center. She loved caring for patients, and it was evident to them they were being cared for by an individual with a great joy for bedside nursing. Mary Lou was a dedicated daughter, wife, mother, and friend who made her home in the community where she was raised, Jamestown , New York. She was known as a nurse who had a tremendous smile that lit up a room when she entered it, and a laugh that matched her smile. Upon her death, the Mary Lou Messina Fund was established by her family at the WCA Foundation in 2004 for nurses working in Critical Care and Peri Anesthesia Nursing to further their careers. In addition, the fund may be used for nursing students who are currently employees of UPMC Chautauqua, or for high school students entering nursing education.

Mary Lou was an energetic, success driven professional who delivered high-quality medical care to those with serious health issues. Her colleagues remember her as effervescent; a leader who conveyed to her nursing team the importance of working together to achieve the best patient outcomes.

To give a gift to The Mary Lou Messina Nursing Scholarship Fund or establish an endowment to the WCA Foundation in the name of a loved one, colleague or special caregiver contact the WCA Foundation to learn more at 716-664-8665. An endowed fund in the name of a loved one celebrates a life well-lived. Link to fund application.