Nurses Week | 2021

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May 9, 2021

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| SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2021

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

NURSES WEEK

From New England to the

front lines of COVID-19 battle in Los Angeles JILL HARMACINSKI

and hospitalizations have soared

The Eagle-Tribune (North Andover, Mass.) throughout the pandemic.

MEDICAL PHOTO CREATED BY RAWPIXEL.COM - WWW.FREEPIK.COM

LOS ANGELES — Right before Christmas, Mary Ellen Devine received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Your frontline workers are EXHAUSTED ... This a small light in the longest and darkest tunnel,” wrote Devine, 25, in a Facebook post announcing her vaccination to family and friends.

Devine, a 2013 graduate of Salem High School in New Hampshire and a registered nurse, is among frontline workers in Los Angeles — where COVID-19 infections

Even with vaccines now being administered, albeit slowly, it is expected to take time to slow the virus.

In Salem, Mary Ellen’s mother Sue Ann Devine couldn’t be more proud of the work her daughter is doing on the West Coast.

Mary Ellen previously worked as a cardiac care nurse at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and is now primarily assigned as a labor and delivery nurse there.

Sue Ann said she tries to speak with her daughter by phone as often

Thank you!

Northland Hospice would like to thank our nursing staff for their outstanding work and dedication this year.

It is the care that you provide to our patients and their life a more families that hopefully make the transition of lif peaceful and comfortable journey.

as possible but said she and her coworkers have all been working long hours to keep shifts filled and help patients.

She said Mary Ellen, who has lived in California for several years now, usually comes home for Christmas or family goes to see her in California.

But this year, along with COVID-19 precautions regarding travel, Mary Ellen and her hospital co-workers were prohibited from using vacation time due to hospital volume.

“The hospital is really stretched at this time and they are all being asked to fill in when needed,” Sue Ann Devine said.

In early January, 10 of Mary Ellen’s co-workers tested positive for COVID-19 and Cedars-Sinai ran short on oxygen supply for patients, she noted.

While a graduate of Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, Mary Ellen has long said the health occupation classes at Salem High were vital in preparing her for a nursing career.

“That’s where she really got her

• Joan Joyce • Katy Abrams • Heather Babbott • Elizabeth Baldwin

spark for nursing,” her mother said.

Sue Ann said she knows her daughter is taking all the necessary COVID-19 precautions and she “has peace” about her work.

“This is her calling. This is her sparkle. This is what she was meant for,” Sue Ann said. “I know she is helping people and this is where she needs to be right now.

I have serenity in that. I am very, very proud.”

The past year did have a huge bright spot for Mary Ellen. She and her boyfriend, Brandon Loureiro, got engaged to be married. The couple lives in Manhattan Beach, California.

“So 2020 wasn’t all horrible for them,” Sue Ann said, with a laugh.

She said her daughter’s advice to the family includes wearing masks, frequent hand washing and social distancing. She also said not to attend “social gatherings or gettogethers with extended family,” Sue Ann said.

“She is very optimistic about the vaccine and is hoping that will help turn the corner,” she said.

• Benjamin Cutter • Cristine Kolody • Gary Schepper • Sharman Searles

Visit our website at www.northlandhospice.org

NURSES WEEK

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Thank You, Flagstaff Nurses

Sunday, May 9, 2021 | 3

‌The Arizona Daily Sun, in partnership with The Bluffs of Flagstaff Senior Living, Northern Arizona Healthcare and Northland Hospice & Palliative Care, is proud to highlight the nurses in our community for all their hard work keeping northern Arizona safe and their patients as comfortable as possible this past year and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented medical professionals with constant onthe-job learning as we discovered almost daily more details about the new virus and how it impacts people.

The Flagstaff community was asked to nominate local nurses for recognition in this publication. Congratulations to everyone, and be sure to thank a nurse in your life today.

MYLES ABRAMOWITZ Guardian Air

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yles Abramowitz served the Flagstaff community for many years as an experienced trauma nurse in the emergency department of Flagstaff Medical Center. In his current role with Guardian Air as a flight nurse, he has worked throughout the pandemic transporting COVID patients from the Navajo Nation to Flagstaff, Phoenix or even Las Vegas hospitals, ensuring they received quick care in emergencies.

Guardian Air has been serving the remote areas of northern Arizona since 1985

and recently received full reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems, which it has held for more than two decades. As the only non-profit air medical transport company in the region, safety and quality of care are at the forefront of all workers’ minds.

When people throughout Flagstaff see a helicopter landing on the FMC roof, they can know medical professionals like Myles have been maintaining life-saving services for each patient until more care can be established in the hospital.

REBECCA BAZAN Northern Arizona Healthcare

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ebecca Bazan’s colleagues at Flagstaff Medical Center nominated her for recognition in this publication with the following heartfelt account: “It would be unfair to say that every nurse isn’t worthy of recognition. I watched countless people drag through the trenches of COVID, and they all deserve love. However, a certain RN comes to my mind when I think of someone standing out. Rebecca is a prime example of an exceptional nurse.

She is humble, doesn’t put herself out there for recognition, but she defines an RN, she is who I strive to be every day.

“Rebecca puts her patients first every

day, she provides the care some can’t make time for, she will be the one washing your hair after it hasn’t been touched for weeks, she is the person that cries with, and truly empathizes with, every patient—she defines a patient advocate.

“It is true that every nurse deserves recognition for their efforts, and many for all the same efforts that Rebecca put forth. But with a goal to better ourselves just a little bit, the one thing we can all learn from Rebecca is kindness. Kindness goes a long way in our profession, and Rebecca is the epitome of a kind soul.”

SEAN OPENSHAW, NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE‌

NURSES WEEK

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DEB BESCAK Northern Arizona Healthcare—VVMC

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eb Bescak is the infection preventionist for Northern Arizona Healthcare at Verde Valley Medical Center. As the main IP resource for Verde, Deb is practically on call 24/7, even when she is not.

She is always willing to walk a staff member through what is needed for any particular issue. She rounds on each nursing area multiple times a day and spends time actively listening and educating each step of the way. A running joke among her colleagues is suggesting if she just stayed the night—she rounds on both shifts regularly.

By the time COVID was at NAH’s doors, Deb had been working diligently with her IP team and IP leaders to ensure the best knowledge was available to take the right actions for staff. She evaluated PPE re-

sources as though she were purchasing them for her own family, knowing that each nurse she encountered needed to wear these items long term. She worked with nursing leadership to evaluate every donated item and make sure it was suitable to use. Deb worked with the biomedical teams to develop a protocol for disinfecting and sanitizing the rooms and masks early on, utilizing the same research and knowledge that would be the foundation for the NAHwide reprocessing process.

Deb invested herself in the wellbeing of all of the COVID-19 positive patients at VVMC and worked to ensure that as a patient, one could be confident they were getting the best COVID care NAH could provide.

SEAN OPENSHAW, NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE‌

CAITLIN BOREN Northern Arizona Healthcare

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hen Caitlin Boren began helping with Nurse Residency at Flagstaff Medical Center back in October 2019, she jumped in with both feet, offering support, ideas and taking opportunities to learn the process. It came as no surprise when a system educator position opened that Caitlin was “all in.”

Caitlin started as a nurse educator in March which meant she didn’t get any sense of what it meant to be a “normal” educator. She had to learn very quickly to become a “COVID” educator. Caitlin was integral in providing ideas for how FMC could contain, preserve PPE and keep staff safe—she tackled system-wide donning and doffing of Tyvek suits with complete commitment and fervor. She worked late nights, early mornings, clocking 80 hours a week most weeks and never complained

once about the situation. She was a support to her co-workers in Education and Critical Care and adapted a true mentality of service to her healthcare team, patients and the community. There were often days when her team encountered unique problems to solve in the contained units that seemed hopeless and Caitlin always found a way bringing the team along with her.

Now in post-COVID rush she has taken the same dedication toward offering three unplanned nurse residency groups and knowing that in the aftermath, staffing the hospital remains a key focus. There will be continued challenges and aftershocks to all that medical professionals have experienced and Caitlin will remain positive, show compassion, respect differences, build community and do amazing work through it all.

SEAN OPENSHAW, NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE‌

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NURSES WEEK

Sunday, May 9, 2021 | 5

BELLA CARUSO Northern Arizona Healthcare

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efore COVID-19 hit, Bella Caruso worked on an orthopedic unit at Northern Arizona Healthcare. When patients started to fill the hospital, there was a need to find a medical surgical unit to designate for COVID-19 patients—that became her floor. As the pandemic wore on, Bella’s drive to work felt heavier and was filled with anticipation and fear, not knowing what the day was going to look like or how sick the patients would be on that particular day. Once she arrived at the hospital, her focus turned to putting on her personal protective equipment for the day and caring for her patients.

The hardest thing for most patients sick with COVID-19 is that they are alone and

scared. Bella realized that and ensured she was always present for her patients while with them, no matter what was going on outside their room. Crucial to comforting those patients is not showing fear as a provider even in the face of a new virus that behaves differently than anything professionals have seen before. Interacting with her patients and learning about their lives was the highlight of Bella’s day and an important personal touch for the patients and their families.

Bella risked her own safety every day she worked on the COVID-19 unit because she knew how essential it was to provide her patients with a sense of strength and compassion in very uncertain times.

NURSES WEEK

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PATRICIA CERTAIN REBECCA CRAY Northern Arizona Healthcare—VVMC

‌P

The Peaks Health & Rehabilitation

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atricia Certain has been with Northern Arizona Healthcare for 25 years at Verde Valley Medical Center. She exemplifies compassion and is an amazing advocate for her patients, going above and beyond to ensure that patients get the care they need, not only while they are in the hospital, but after they are discharged as well.

Trish, as she is known by friends and colleagues, is able to remain calm and level-headed in a code and can always be counted on by her team members. She always has a positive attitude and shows kindness and compassion to everyone she meets, and her commitment to her community extends beyond her career in the health field. Trish volunteers throughout Cottonwood, donating time and money to several organizations. Her generosity of self both personally and professionally is the reason so many people look up to her.

n Rebecca Cray’s nomination by a colleague at The Peaks Health & Rehabilitation, she is spoken of fondly: “Mama Becky, as she is known by our residents and staff, is not only an experienced and skilled nurse, she is also a beautiful person. She cares for the residents with insight, compassion and passion. I can think of no one that deserves this recognition more than Mama Becky. She is truly an angel among us.”

One of her residents explained, “She truly cares for her people and that’s the most important thing to me.”

Mama Becky is also loved by her co-workers as one team member said, “She comes running whenever anyone needs help with no questions asked; she is a mama to us all.”

Medical setbacks fuel passion for nursing career CAITLIN HEANEY WEST

The Times-Tribune (Scranton, Pa.)‌

‌Madison Jarocha knows her life would look much different if illness had not touched her.

From an autoimmune disease that shook up her world as a teenager to broken bones to a cancer diagnosis in her final year of college, the 21-year-old has faced — and survived — more than some people do in a lifetime.

Madison, of South Abington Twp., Pennsylvania, is studying for a nursing degree from University of Central Florida.

As a student in Abington Heights School District, however, Madison thought she’d one day study mathematics. That, along with much more of her life, changed when she was 16.

A basketball and field hockey player, Madison initially thought she was having issues with asthma when she started getting out of breath and passing out at practice.

When her mother, Nicole Jarocha, saw Madison for the first time in a few weeks, her intuition kicked in.

“She walked into the house, (and) I turned

to my sister and said, ‘There’s something wrong with her,’” Nicole Jarocha recalled.

Madison, who lost about 20 pounds over two months and felt seriously fatigued, had seen doctors for a few months, but nothing came of the appointments. Her mother pushed for bloodwork and other tests, and Madison ended up getting admitted to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania.

“I had to stop everything,” Madison recalled. “l can’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath.”

Madison learned she has acute systemic scleroderma. The more common variety causes the skin to produce too much collagen, but in Madison’s case, her body produces too much collagen internally, which the body thinks of as foreign and then starts attacking her muscles, tissues and organs.

Overall, the disease led to at least 10 hospitalizations, several surgeries and procedures, numerous trips to Baltimore and the possibility of needing a double lung

transplant one day.

“The nurses that I had, I feel like I definitely would not be where I was without them,” Madison said. “I kind of want to do for other people what they did with me.”

Switching paths

Madison realized going into her senior year at Abington Heights that nursing was the career for her. Ready for a fresh start, she headed to Florida and plans to graduate this May with a nursing degree. She’s had research published, made dean’s list each semester and was picked to participate in a research study.

Madison expects to stay in Florida for another year after college before hitting the road to work as a travel nurse. She’s considering a career in bone-marrow transplants or oncology, having done clinical work in an adult oncology clinic last year that showed her how much she enjoys caring for patients in a critical setting. Eventually, she’d like to move into nurse education.

“There’s a lot you can do with nursing

after school and everything,” Madison said.

Early in college, while raising money for the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children through the Knight-Thon, she collapsed and was taken to that very hospital for treatment.

She went blind for more than a month, her mother said, as doctors suggested that flareups from Madison’s disorder could have affected the connective tissues in the eyes.

While Madison regained her eyesight, she is legally blind without her glasses.

Then last year, Madison was riding on the back of a moped with a friend when the vehicle crashed into a pole at 55 mph.

Thrown more than 20 feet but miraculously alive, Madison had a concussion and broke several bones in her foot.

Still, she pushed forward through her recovery, and then another setback came: cancer.

In June, she noticed a lump on top of her rib cage but thought it was just a cyst, which she gets often. By October, however, Please see PASSION, Page 15

NURSES WEEK

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Sunday, May 9, 2021 | 7

KELLY DEGRAFF Northern Arizona Healthcare Community Care Network

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elly DeGraff, RN, is a care manager for Northern Arizona Healthcare Community Care Network. She is committed to making sure patients continue to get the care they need after they leave the hospital. This has been especially valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic when many people have been scared and reluctant to seek medical care. Kelly has been able to keep her patients safe and continue to attend to their needs from the comfort of their own homes.

Many of Kelly’s patients are elderly and at higher risk of reoccurring hospitalizations. She uses telemedicine and phone calls to keep tabs on her patients, but her favorite thing is the home visits. Going

the extra mile to make sure her patients in the community continue to get the care they need is Kelly’s number one priority.

Her patients trust her with their lives and some believe she is their guardian angel and have said they don’t know what they would do without her.

Kelly’s compassionate care goes well beyond taking blood pressures or administering medication. When she asks her patients how they are today, she genuinely wants to know. In a time when so many people are struggling physically and mentally, Kelly knows how important it is to make sure people are taken care of and to help them whenever possible.

SEAN OPENSHAW, NORTHERN ARIZONA HEALTHCARE‌

g n i t a r Celeb

N RSES WEEK

Thank you NACA Nurses for the

exceptional work and essential care you provide

to the whole

community!

Natalie Metz, DNP, APRN, FNP-C Nurse Practitioner

Verity Quiroz RN MSN Registered Nurse

NACA

Native Americans for Community Action, Inc.

(928) 773-1245 | WWW.NACAINC.ORG

NURSES WEEK

8 | Sunday, May 9, 2021

NATE FARR Guardian Air

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ate Farr began working as a flight nurse with Guardian Air when things were “normal,” but even then he was consistently finding creative and effective ways to improve efficiency through a robust commitment to practicing and seeking further education. Nate is always “in the books” reading, learning, growing and ensuring he is at his best in order to care for people on their worst days.

When COVID hit and things were anything but normal, Nate both volunteered and was selected by his peers and administrators to lead the group of clinicians that needed to serve multiple communities, ensuring all hospital systems in Arizona were available to patients who may need them. Guardian Air asked him to help ensure that each member was safe in doing so, that their families were safe in them continuing to work, and that the company and system were operating efficiently and effectively for a timeline completely unknown. He led the Guardian Air COVID Task Force, which through its time transported a high majority of Arizona’s COVID-19 positive patients throughout the four corners, saw no clinicians contract the virus, had no families placed at extra risk, and maintained not only company viability but system efficacy and safety.

It was no surprise that during all that was going on with COVID, he was selected and trained into the Neo-Specialty team adding another level of expertise to his already vast experience.

Nate shows compassion and does amazing work every day. He is the pillar of education for his community and his colleagues.

JOHN GOOBY Northern Arizona Home Health

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ollowing a long career in the IT industry, John Gooby returned to school to become a nurse.

Witnessing the fear and pain caused

by Hurricane Katrina inspired him to transition into a field where he could help people in a more direct and impactful way, and he began his nursing career in 2009 after graduating from Coconino Community College.

As a home health nurse at Northern Arizona Home Health, he works with patients in the comfort of their homes.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges for nurses across the board, and John and his team

have faced those challenges head on by implementing safety protocols and patient education to ensure everyone remains as healthy as possible.

“John loves the opportunity to connect with patients and families, often taking calls at all hours to provide support to families who are often facing dire health challenges,” Gretchen Gooby, his wife, said. “He is an incredible listener and has a huge heart. On top of this, John played an integral part of caring for my mom who lived in our home as she fought Alzheimer’s disease. He is the best person I know.”

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JOAN JOYCE Northland Hospice & Palliative Care

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oan Joyce has worked in the nursing field for 30 years, almost 10 of which have been spent caring for patients at Northland Hospice. When it comes to patient care and hospice in general, she is dedicated to the mission of hospice. As Northland’s Clinical Director, her focus is on the patient first and on the family second.

Hospice is an incredible service for any family facing the reality of losing a loved one. Professionals are available to explain to family members what is happening to their loved one and how they are being kept comfortable, as well as to discuss how everything will be handled after hospice services are no longer needed

Joan excels at working with new nurses in training to educate and teach them about hospice—it is a big difference from working in the hospital.

In preparing a patient and their family for what is coming, Joan is culturally sensitive and can sense when a family needs time, whether that’s more time to formulate questions or more time to ease into an inevitable situation.

In this year of COVID-19, Joan’s number one priority has been the safety and protection of families and hospice staff. She wanted every family member to be able to be present at their loved one’s side in the last moments of their life. This is where her compassion really shines.

SHANNON BALLEW

I

Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.

Georgia WWII veteran, NURSE TURNS

100

nez Long of Marietta, Georgia, one of Cobb County’s few surviving World War II veterans, celebrated her 100th birthday in January.

“It’s good to be alive,” Long said before the approaching milestone.

Born Minnie Inez Scurry on Jan. 30, 1921, in the south Georgia town of McRae, Long said her older sister became a nurse despite their father’s insistence that she be a teacher. She followed in her sister’s footsteps, and graduated as a registered nurse from Emory’s Crawford W. Long Hospital School of Nursing, according to family records. That hospital is now Emory University Hospital Midtown.

She worked a little over a year as an industrial nurse in a Savannah shipyard, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 during the Second World War. “The war was on, and that was it,” she said of her decision to use her skills in supporting the war effort.

Inez went through basic training in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Santa Ana, California, and spent the rest of her time stationed at the hospital at Numa Army Air Field in Arizona. There, she tended to patients, administered medicines

and shots, and worked on the floor, doing whatever the doctors needed her to do. She especially loved helping with surgeries, she said.

It was at the Numa base hospital that she met her husband, Ed “Bud” Long, who served as a B-17 bomber pilot. As the family story goes, the two lieutenants first met when Ed Long was waking up from a tonsillectomy. He was just as struck by Inez’s beauty as he was by the punches she was landing on him, forcing him to breathe.

Edward Long, who died in 2016, would later tell people that he chased the young Inez all over the hospital for the rest of his stay there, according to an article from their church, Maple Avenue United Methodist Church in Marietta.

The couple married in Yuma in 1944 and would be together for 72 years. Inez Long was discharged when she was pregnant with their first child and moved back to McRae. She waited there for about a year, and when the war was over the Longs and their daughter, Georgia, moved to Marietta.

In Marietta, they had a son, Ed Long, Jr., and Inez continued her nursing career at a local doctor’s office and later became an assistant at a dentist office, while her husband worked at Delta and Lockheed Martin.

Long Jr. remembers his parents being the hosts to many parties on their front porch and in their backyard, always loving to have company. His mother was always active in their church, selling baked goods for church fundraisers at the old fairgrounds. One favorite was pecan tarts.

“I told her when she was selling them at the bazaar at church, she was selling them too cheap. They were always gone,” he said.

Inez Long could also often be found tending her garden, and she loved to can the vegetables she grew, especially mustard pickles. Her son said she also loved pranking her children, and would often spray water at him or play other jokes.

“They were just good parents. We didn’t have much when we were coming up, but they always seemed to provide,” Ed Long Jr. said.

Life has been quieter in recent years for Inez Long. She doesn’t remember as well since a stroke a few years ago, and she is hard of hearing. But she still enjoys walks and having company, though the pandemic has curtailed visits by family and friends.

The one place she and her son go out together is the occasional trip to the beauty parlor for a haircut.

“One of the doctors said she was a tough old bird, and she is,” her son said.

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STEPHANIE MARTIN AMY NUNEMAKER The Peaks, A Senior Living Community

Northern Arizona Healthcare

‌A

‌A

lthough Stephanie Martin began working at The Peaks, A Senior Living Community just a week before visitation closed down due to COVID-19 and was thrown into the unknown, she constantly kept residents at the forefront of her decisions.

Stephanie was instrumental in the planning and execution of the living facility’s COVID-19 procedures and worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of all residents and employees.

In her nomination for recognition in this publication, her colleague wrote, “Stephanie continues to keep our community safe and has been a strong, diligent and compassionate leader throughout this difficult year. Stephanie is passionate about providing the best quality care to our residents and never fails to follow through on a commitment she makes to them.

Stephanie is truly a great asset to our team and our residents feel lucky to have her here with us!”

my Nunemaker, an ICU nurse at Flagstaff Medical Center, faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic head-on and made sure the rest of her team was prepared to take care of their patients as well as themselves.

Friends and colleagues nominated her for recognition, writing, “Amy is our lighthouse in the storm, she has been our beacon of hope in the ICU throughout this whole pandemic.

When Amy was there, she guided us [and was] always on the frontline with us, never backing down.

“This gal was so tough, working to get supplies in to our unit when people were not coming in. She came in like a pack mule with 20 bags or so, slowly shuffling things room to room, changing light bulbs, picking up trash along with running the unit as charge nurse.

She has changed the lives for so many nurses as a great teacher. She is like family to us, and to patients too. There is no one else like her. Thank you, Amy, for carrying us through.”

SEAN OPENSHAW‌

We’d like to recognize our amazing nurses who have remained committed to the health of northern Arizona by ensuring our communities have access to COVID care, testing & vaccinations. Thank you for your dedication & persistence.

Danielle Ashton • Jay Bawcom • Lisa Blasko • Jeremy Burdick • Kimberly Callahan • Carol Capozzi • Janet Cherobon-Bawcom • Marvin Depas Stephanie Dunajsk • Heber Dutson • Glenn Finch • Kathleen Florea Emilie Gelpi • Jennifer Grove • Lori Hagstrom • Candace Harrison Robert Hoadley • Karen Holder • Laura Holladay • Heather Holt Sarah Jaquith • Shoshanna Jensen • Jeffrey Kiser • Judith Lassen Sean L’Huillier • Kim Anne Lockart • Krissie Maxwell • Martha McGuffin Colin McNamara • Colleen Mcweeney • Elizabeth Miller • Mary Miller Beth Otterstein • Karen Perez • Dena Petrequin • Ashley Powell Paul Queior • Katherine Radabaugh • Shanna Ramat • Melody Rhodes Theresa Salvatore • Colleen Savage • Juline Serna • Sara Shanah Gina Silveira • Robin Starr • Dawn Stokes • Shane Trantham • Claire Veltkamp • Jordan Viera • Bridget Wicks • Paula Williams • Sara Zmrzel

You are creating healthier communities across northern Arizona!

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STACY PAYNE Northern Arizona Healthcare

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ven before COVID-19 hit, Stacy Payne did an amazing job as an ICU nurse educator. She took on the ominous task of redesigning the New Graduate RN Critical Care training program to be completed in a shorter period of time, while encompassing all of the necessary material and taking the time to educate and encourage the new graduate RNs as they embarked on their career as ICU nurses. But her passion for education and compassion for new ICU RNs became even more apparent when the pandemic hit in March 2020.

Stacy put on her scrubs and worked tirelessly on the floor to keep the staff safe, and when morale became low in the Critical Care department, she listened to her colleagues, who were physically and emotionally spent, and advocated for them. While the worst of COVID was happening Stacy provided valuable education and research to ensure staff was fighting the virus the best and safest way possible. Through all of the chaos, she never lost sight of the new ICU RNs, finding ways to continue to teach, train and support them. Her dedication to her profession and to her colleagues is exemplary.

JAMIE REISNER Northern Arizona Healthcare

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lagstaff Medical Center Clinical Manager Colleen Little wrote the following glowing nomination for Jamie Reisner: “At the beginning of the pandemic, Jamie Reisner agreed to serve as the Peds/ PICU Interim Manager while I was out on maternity. That decision alone took courage and confidence. Little did she know at that time that she would lead our team through the absolute most challenging time in health care in our generation. Even our most seasoned leaders at NAH have expressed that

leading through this pandemic has been the most difficult of their whole careers, but Jamie took the reins on April 17 and did a phenomenal job communicating all the changes to our team.

“Jamie hosted COVID update Zoom meetings twice a week, wrote a Weekly Update at the end of each week and was present on the unit to address concerns in real time. She ensured the safety of our staff and patients through moving our entire unit three times. Jamie made sure our staff continued to work their budgeted hours through a devastating

low census by arranging cross-training to ICU, PPE observing, entry screening and the Fort Tuthill testing site.

“Our team has shared with me over and over again how Jamie did such an amazing job as Interim Manager. Not only did she manage through ‘COVID times,’ Jamie also was thrown into budgeting and hiring and SMART goal setting and evaluation writing and all of the typical duties of a clinical manager.

She did all of these things with grace and efficiency, bravery and love. Jamie exemplifies the heart and strength of nursing.”

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Grow your career

with an award-winning team.

Sunday, May 9, 2021 | 13

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) created the 5-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, families and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and to help them decide which facilities to consider. Our attention to quality and exceptional care is evident by earning the following high ratings.

CMS OVERALL RATING

A leader in heath and rehabilitation for over 20 years, our teams have the tools, resources, and support to provide award-winning care to those we serve. Build your future with us.

4 stars

The Peaks Health & Rehabilitation is hiring Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants.

CMS STAFFING RATING

5 stars

F E AT U R I N G : • Medical, dental and vision benefit package • Competitive compensation package

• 401(k) retirement plan • Sign-on bonus for RNs and LPNs • Flexible scheduling

CMS QUALITY MEASURES

5 stars

ACHA Trend Tracker data as of4/20/2021

Apply online at thepeaks.org/careers today!

Northern Arizona Senior Living Community, L.L.C. d/b/a The Peaks Health & Rehabilitation complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other protected status.

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3150 N. Winding Brook Road, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 | 928-774-7106 | thepeaks.org

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ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-844-674-8457 (TTY: 711).

Navajo

D77 baa ak0 n7n7zin: D77 saad bee y1n7[ti’go Diné Bizaad, saad bee 1k1’1n7da’1wo’d66’, t’11 jiik’eh, 47 n1 h0l=, koj8’ h0d77lnih: 1-844674-8457 (TTY: 711)

NURSES WEEK

14 | Sunday, May 9, 2021

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

ARACELI RIVERA Northern Arizona Healthcare

‌B

eing a nurse during a pandemic is a life-changing experience, and the challenges COVID-19 presented nurses in the Critical Care department were monumental. Emotional, physical and mental exhaustion plagued the entire health care staff, but through this experience colleagues learned to value each

other more than ever. According to those who nominated Araceli Rivera for recognition, she is more than just a member of the Critical Care team, she is an advocate for her patients and her coworkers, a kind and empathetic friend, and an energetic nurse who always strives to do the best job she can.

ERIKA SIMON Northern Arizona Healthcare

Throughout the worst of the pandemic, Araceli brought a smile and optimistic energy with her to every shift in a way that was infectious, spreading to the rest of the staff. She aggressively pursued educational opportunities to increase her knowledge and skills and she cared for some of the sickest patients, always striv-

ing to leave them better than they were when she started her shift.

Araceli’s kindness and compassion offered a bright spot in an otherwise terrible situation. Her huge heart and love for her job helped many members of the community through very dark days.

NANCY SINGER Northern Arizona Healthcare

‌A

s the Director of Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Education Department, Erika Simon leads a group of more than 20 educators who serve as the voice of expertise and are the ones the nurses can count on for support and motivation. But in this past year, Erika did not hesitate to put her scrubs back on in order to help train staff to safely deploy Personal Protective Equipment, open new units to care for the overwhelming volume of COVID-19 patients and to develop a team of more than 60 PPE observers whose job was to ensure staff was safe and avoiding errors putting on and taking off their gear.

Erika’s leadership and fierceness helped her staff and all of her colleagues through the worst part of the pandemic. When the hospital started filling up with COVID-19 patients, ICU staff began calling her. Even on a Saturday when she was with her family in the Valley, she took every call and answered the many questions staff had about how to keep themselves protected.

Erika knew that her mission throughout the crisis was to educate and protect not only her team, but all of her colleagues at NAH.

‌W

hile some professionals need to experience a variety of roles before finding one that fits, others are lucky enough to find their passion right away.

Nancy Singer received her nursing degree from Northern Arizona University in 1986 and then started her career at Flagstaff MedSEAN OPENSHAW‌ ical Center in Labor and Delivery, where she

has been for the past 35 years.

Nancy’s passion for patient care can be felt through her selfless and caring nature.

Whether it’s easing nerves for new mothers or providing comfort to families, Nancy handles all situations with heart-felt compassion. Her work ethic is exceptional, and she is always giving 100% to her profession.

NURSES WEEK

MARY SHARBER Northern Arizona Healthcare

M

ary Sharber has worked as a nurse at Flagstaff Medical Center for many years. While her goal was to eventually become an ICU nurse, she never had the time to take the required training on top of other responsibilities.

However, the opportunity to serve in the ICU arose this past year during the pan-

demic and she quickly accepted it. Mary enrolled in Zoom courses at home to ensure she had the training needed to serve effectively. She enjoys being physically active, so appreciates the constant activity in the ICU and feels challenged to always meet the needs of her patients as she serves each one in the best way possible.

ELAINE SPERL The Peaks, A Senior Living Community

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s a nurse at The Peaks, A Senior Living Community, Elaine Sperl cares for residents through their later years.

In nominating her for recognition in this publication, a colleague wrote, “Elaine has been a wonderful part of our nursing team. Her compassion for our residents and family members makes her an inspiration to those caregivers aspiring to be a nurse.

Elaine is personable with our residents in

the way she listens and follows through on commitments and promises. Elaine’s ability to get on the same level as our residents makes her an integral part of our team.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Elaine stepped in and covered in any capacity needed to ensure our residents were wellcared for. Elaine has a big heart and puts our residents at the center of everything that she does.”

Passion From 6

she realized it had almost doubled or tripled in size. Doctors diagnosed her with leiomyosarcoma, a cancer of the connective tissues and muscles.

Madison underwent surgery on Nov. 30, during which doctors removed the affected area and tissue surrounding it.

Subsequent testing showed she was clear of cancer and did not need chemotherapy.

She said she feels a lot better with the cancer behind her.

“I got really lucky,” Madison said.

Showing strength

SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2021 |

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empathy can be taught or compassion can be taught; you either have it or you don’t. ... I just think that her empathy and compassion is going to have a lot to do with the helping of her patients.”

Madison just tried to focus on getting through whatever she faced at that moment, knowing it would soon pass.

And believes everything happens for a reason. Trials can make her a stronger person or give her more insight into her career.

“I just realized how resilient I was,” Madison said. “I have a really good perspective on life. No matter what happens, I just try to keep a positive attitude. “

Both Madison and her mother see how much she has taken away from these experiences, especially when it comes to nursing.

“I know what it’s like to be a patient in the hospital,” Madison said. “I’ve had some good nurses and bad nurses. And I kind of know how I want to be treated in a hospital. ... I’ll be able to sympathize and also empathize with my patients and know what situation they’re in.”

“She’s going to be the nurse that everyone wants,” Nicole Jarocha said.

“I think first and foremost, as a nurse, the empathy and compassion is like 90% of the medicine. I just don’t think

PHOTO BY KAROLINA GRABOWSKA FROM PEXELS

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

16 | Sunday, May 9, 2021

NURSES WEEK

ARIZONA DAILY SUN

THANK YOU NURSES THIS IS YOUR MOMENT There’s great comfort in knowing that when we need medical care, nurses are always there. The unique skills, empathy and guidance nurses offer was exemplified as the pandemic spread across the country.

At Northern Arizona Healthcare, our nurses confronted the disease head-on, with innovation, determination and resilience. They worked tirelessly to care for patients both physically and emotionally – putting their own fears aside to hold the hands of those frightened and alone.

Today we celebrate all nurses! Thank you for all you do to serve our community.

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