Caring for the community

After a hospital visit, patients have the ability to recognize nurses who go above and beyond by nominating them for a DAISY award.

This spring, Greater Regional Medical Center had 18 nurses nominated for the award, presenting both Karla Hynes and Laura Hibbs with the spring DAISY award.

The winner is chosen by an anonymous system where a select committee of people read the submissions with the names removed and vote for a winner.

The DAISY program started in 1999 in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications from Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). His family was so touched by the care they received from his nurses they started the DAISY program.

DAISY is an acronym for diseases against the autoimmune system. The Greater Regional DAISY award ceremony took place during National Nurses Week, May 6 - 12, and honored the nurses and their stories.

Though a long-time Iowa nurse, Hynes was excited to even be nominated for the DAISY award.

“I’m so humbled by it because that’s just a really nice award,” Hynes said. “I actually got an email and it listed that and I was like, oh my gosh! I couldn’t believe it because, like I said, it’s a tremendous honor. It really is.”

When she found out that not only was she nominated for the award, but had won it, she was shocked.

“Someone had asked what my chances of winning were and I said [none],” Hynes said. “It was just such a thrill to be with such a great group of people, all of them very deserving of it, very deserving of the nomination.”

In the form nominating Hynes, an anonymous submitter shared their appreciation for her.

“She works tirelessly and with great energy and positivity for the people of Union County,” the nomination said. “She is a bright light, uplifting the energy in the room when she enters. She’s proud of Greater Regional. She’s proud of Union County and works every single day to care for the largest and smallest need that our community and patients need from her. She has turned public health into a visible, involved, trusted resource for the community.”

Hynes is the Union County Public Health director, working with members of the community to improve quality of life for all in the county. Rather than working with specific patients coming into a practice, Hynes said “the patient is the public.”

Though public health has always led with this idea, the manner of treating the community has changed greatly over the years.

“It used to be, public health would be hand-in-hand with some of your home visiting,” Hynes said. “I like the change because it is more of a proactive, we’re going to try to prevent things from happening, we’re going to look at, here are some trends that we’re seeing, managing the problems that we have, we’re going to do what we can to prevent a problem from happening.”

Hynes has seen this change personally, beginning her career with public health in Mount Ayr before even graduating nursing school. First gaining interest in nursing through her mother, Hynes took a job with Ringgold County Public Health.

“They had policy manuals that they were trying to put all into one and so that was kind of my job, to put all the policies together,” Hynes said. “It’s really full circle. I started in public health and probably this is where my nursing career will end a few years down the road.”

Leaving Mount Ayr and Ringgold County after high school, Hynes studied nursing at what was then Grand View College, now known as Grand View University, in Des Moines. She worked for a small hospital doing a little bit of everything before becoming a travel nurse. This is also how she met her husband Jerry.

“I actually met my husband on my first assignment, which is kind of cool. [In 1992] we were on our way from South Carolina to New Mexico,” Hynes said. “I had an assignment in New Mexico, but they hadn’t arranged housing yet. We got to Little Rock and that’s where we needed to make a decision, did we continue going west or did we go north and hit Iowa? We called and they still didn’t have housing, so we said OK, let’s go to Iowa.”

Hynes has been in Iowa ever since, making her way to Greater Regional and Union County Public Health in the last few years. Though only a part of the Creston health world for a short time, Hynes said she’s loved every minute of it.

“I love being with the people; I love being out in the community and engaging with them and finding out what’s happening with them,” Hynes said. “Every aspect of my job, I love, absolutely love. I can’t even begin to tell you, I look forward to coming to work every single day. I do something that’s enjoyable, and I get to interact with people and I just love it.”

Circumstances from this year have shown just how important her work family is to her.

“Greater Regional is such a wonderful place to work. I lost my husband a couple months ago and I don’t think I would have survived working anywhere else except for here,” Hynes said. “They’ve all been so patient and kind and understanding on just whatever I needed. If you pick a good place to work, you’ll always be taken care of.”

Other nurses nominated were Faith Berry, Justy Cheers, Kenzie Cole, Anthony Hutchings, Marla McFarland, Rachel Miller, Diane Nuzum, Travis Ruppert, Ashley Siepker, Anita Studer, Loretta Umbenhower, Tricia Williams, Carrie Wood, Elizabeth Pryor, Brit Woodside and Katie Zimmerman.

To share a positive experience and nominate a nurse for the DAISY award, visit www.greaterregional.org/share-your-story.