Ten Registered Nurses receive
Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare Awards

The 18th Annual Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare Awards banquet honored 10 registered nurses Oct. 24, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency, Kansas City, Mo. The University of Kansas School of Nursing coordinated the event, which recognizes outstanding registered nurses in Kansas and the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area. This year’s 10 award winners were:

• Vicki Archer, RN, Registered Nurse, Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care, Kansas City, Mo.
• Terri Blackwelder, RN, BSN, Nurse Case Manager, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Kansas City, Mo.
• Gail Ciesielski, RN, MSN, Clinical Coordinator – Emergency Department, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, Kan.
• Jason Crenshaw, RN, BSN, Clinical Education Coordinator, Heart of America Hospice, Topeka, Kan.
• Becky Dorman, RN, Staff Nurse, Logan County Health Department, Oakley, Kan.
• Tamara Dorsett, RN, BSN, School Nurse, USD 383, Manhattan, Kan.
• Rose Farnan, RN, BSN, Infections Disease Nurse Clinician, Truman Medical Center, Kansas City, Mo.
• Barb Gack, RN, MSN, Salina Regional Health Center, Salina, Kan.
• Kathey Huey, RN, BSN, Clinical Nurse Coordinator, The University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, Kan.
• Kathe Kraly, RN, MSN, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Mo.

Heart of Healthcare award winners pictured back row, from left: Kathey Huey, Barb Gack, Becky Dorman and Terri Blackwelder. Pictured front row, from left: Jason Crenshaw, Tamara Dorsett, Gail Ciesielski, Kathe Kraly and Rose Farnan. Not pictured is Vicki Archer.

The University of Kansas School of Nursing established Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare in 1989 to recognize registered nurses’ contributions to their communities, patients and professions. Over the past 18 years, there have been 180 winners from more than 6,500 nominations.

Nominations are accepted from patients, patient’s families, colleagues, employers, supervisors and the nurse’s family and friends. A committee composed of former award winners and health care and business leaders, selected the 10 winners. Every nurse who was nominated will receive a certificate of recognition.