OGDENSBURG -- The A. Barton Hepburn Hospital (ABHH) School of Nursing Alumnae’s annual gathering was held recently in the Hess Auditorium at the Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center.

Each year, the alumnae of the nursing school gather together to celebrate the milestones reached since their graduation, said a press release from Claxton-Hepburn.

Initially opened in 1902 as the Ogdensburg City Hospital School of Nursing, the school became known for the quality of the training received under the tutelage of the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart of Ottawa.

More than a thousand nurses passed through the halls of the ABHH School of Nursing during its 66 years of operation. Those nurses went on to care for generations of patients nationwide.

This year’s luncheon featured guest speaker Michelle Camarda, a nurse practitioner dedicated to providing quality, hands-on palliative care to those who need it.

Camarda also facilitates a bereavement group that meets once a month in the Hess Auditorium and is open anyone in the surrounding communities who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

The ABHH Alumnae are an integral part of the fabric of CHMC’s history and current success, and many alumnae have continued to support their alma mater throughout the years, the press release said.

In the past ten years alone, ABHH Alumnae members have given more than $40,000 back to various projects at CHMC.