Saint Francis Hospital Receives Lotus Recognition™ from Watson Caring Science Institute
HARTFORD, Conn. (July 16, 2025) – Saint Francis Hospital is proud to announce it has been awarded Watson Caring Science Institute’s (WCSI) Lotus Recognition™, which celebrates the hospital’s unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of caring and healing culture for staff, patients, and the community it serves. The Lotus Recognition highlights organizations for their authentic commitment and demonstration of values, philosophy, and human caring theory-guided practices of Watson’s Caring Science.
The Lotus Recognition is a powerful symbol of the true commitment of Saint Francis to the human caring theory at the heart of Watson’s Caring Science. It honors the organization’s Mission of serving as a compassionate and transforming healing presence and reflects the dedication of creating a culture that nurtures caregivers, embraces patients with dignity, and extends the healing mission into the community.
“I have the privilege of witnessing our caregivers lead with extraordinary compassion every single day,” said Dawn Cimmarusti-LeRoy, MSN, RN, CEN-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Saint Francis Hospital. “Rooted in intention, rising through the complexity of care, and bringing comfort, dignity, and hope, whether at the bedside, the quiet of a hallway, or during a moment of crisis, our teams embody what it means to care with heart. When care is led by love and grounded in humanity, compassion isn’t just possible, it becomes who we are. And at Saint Francis, that spirit flourishes in every corner.”
“As a nurse at Saint Francis, I’ve learned that healing isn’t just about medicine, it’s about presence,” said Jennifer Travers, MSN, RN, Nursing Professional Development Specialist for the Center for Nursing Education and Practice Innovation, who served as the “Lotus Lead” for Saint Francis. “It’s in the way we show up for people in their most vulnerable moments, offering not just care, but comfort, dignity, and compassion. Even the smallest gesture can become a source of healing, and at Saint Francis, that kind of compassion lives in every interaction, every shift, and every patient story we are privileged to be part of.”
Developed by Dr. Jean Watson, Watson Caring Science is a transdisciplinary approach that incorporates the art and science of nursing and includes concepts from the fields of philosophy, ethics, and ecology and mind-body-spirit medicine. Watson’s theory is manifested through the 10 Caritas Processes®, canons in which to live and work.
About Saint Francis Hospital
Saint Francis Hospital has been an anchor institution in Connecticut since 1897. Saint Francis is a member of Trinity Health Of New England and Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Saint Francis Hospital, a Level 1 Trauma Center, is a 617-bed hospital, a major teaching hospital, and the largest Catholic hospital in New England. Other Saint Francis entities include the Comprehensive Women’s Health Center, the Connecticut Joint Replacement Institute, the Hoffman Heart and Vascular Institute of Connecticut, the Smilow Cancer Hospital Yale-New Haven at Saint Francis, Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group, and Community Health and Well Being, which includes the Curtis D. Robinson Center for Health Equity, the Joan C. Dauber Food Pantry, and the Greater Hartford Family Advocacy Center. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @SaintFrancisCT