Ten Registered Nurses receive Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare Awards

The 17^th Annual Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare Awards banquet honored 10 registered nurses Nov. 2, 2007, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel, 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:

• Gabriel Bailey, RN, BSN, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Mo.
• Mary Jane Chapman, RN, Mitchell County Hospital Health Systems, Beloit, Kan.
• Peggy Eldredge, RN, BSN, MS, North Kansas City Hospital, Kansas City, Mo.
• Lori Fisher, RN, Heart of America Hospice, Topeka, Kan.
• Sharron Miller, RN, Garden Valley Retirement, Garden City, Kan.
• Harriett Navarre, RN, BSN, MSN, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, Mo.
• Edward Ronnebaum, RN, BSN, MSA, Integral Care Provider, Inc., Mission, Kan.
• Denell Smith, RN, BSN, MICT, Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, Wichita, Kan.
• Lori Torres, RN, BSN, Flint Hills Community Health Center, Emporia, Kan.
• Carolyne Tracewell, RN, OCN, CHPN, St. Luke's Home Health and Hospice of Leavenworth, Leavenworth, Kan.

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 17 years, there have been 160 winners and approximately 6,500 nominations for the award.

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 car and business leaders, selected the 10 winners. Every nurse who was nominated received a certificate of recognition.

Since 1906, the University of Kansas School of Nursing has been educating registered nurses to care for patients in Kansas and the region. The University of Kansas Medical Center prepares students for leadership roles in today's dynamic health care environment in Schools of Nursing, Medicine and Allied Health. The Medical Center offers more than 2,500 students an innovative curriculum and patient-centered clinical training in partnership with The University of Kansas Hospital. A leader in biomedical research, the KU Medical Center is a key partner in the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute.