The Nebraska Hospital Association has recognized outstanding healthcare employees through The Caring Kind award for over 40 years. This award is presented to Nebraska’s most caring and compassionate hospital employees. Recipients of this prestigious award have gone above and beyond the call of duty to demonstrate compassion for patients, cooperation with co-workers, and dedication to excellence in their job responsibilities.
The NHA’s member hospitals from across Nebraska select one award recipient from within their respective institutions to be recognized at The Caring Kind Awards Luncheon, the grand finale of the NHA Annual Convention. Nebraska hospitals have paid tribute to their finest employees at this annual event. Hundreds of family, friends, and co-workers gather together to celebrate those healthcare employees who exemplify caring, compassion, and service excellence by receiving The Caring Kind award.
This year, our staff nominated 13 employees!
- Aubrey Lovato, Insurance Claims Representative
- Coreen Soucie, Physicians Clinic LPN
- Heidi Nienhueser, Specialty Clinic RN
- Jeanny Escobar, Lab Manager
- Kim Dailey, Specialty Clinic Secretary
- Kristin Narjes, Respiratory Therapist
- Lavon Hajek, Patient Account Specialist
- Lisa Kesselring, Physicians Clinic Scheduler
- Lorna Storm, Acute Care RN/Lactation Consultant
- Nicole Linton, Physician Assistant
- Pam Robinson, Transport Aide Secretary
- Renae Timmerman, Specialty Clinic LPN
- Shelly Norberg, Acute Care Unit Secretary
Our hospital is proud to have so many caring individuals on our team, but there was one person who received the most amount of votes. Out of all these dedicated employees, Heidi Nienhueser was chosen as the winner for The Caring Kind award! She has been a registered nurse for a little over three years now and has worked as the nurse navigator for oncology since the department opened two years ago. According to her supervisors, Joy Batt, ARNP, A-GNP-C (Oncology Provider), Ashley Riddle (Specialty Clinic Manager), and Mandi Nienhueser (Physicians Clinic Director), Heidi is an exemplary employee with a heart for helping patients:
“Heidi truly lives the mission and puts patients first every day. She is the ‘pilot’ of the oncology plane and keeps all parts and pieces running smoothly. Heid’s focus is on her patients and ensuring they get the very best care they need. We have many patients who recognize Heidi by name when they talk about their care at SRMC and the difference she makes in their care. She has been known to take paperwork to patients’ homes who could not get to the hospital. She spends countless hours on the phone explaining treatments and processes to oncology patients who are overwhelmed and worn out. Heidi can troubleshoot and fix any roadblocks to patients receiving services, such as radiology, laboratory, other specialty providers, and pathology. She has even researched and obtained outside laboratory services for specialty testing that could not be done locally. Heidi listens to patients’ financial roadblocks and reaches out to finance/billing to help work out billing issues and facilitate patients getting the services/treatments they need. We currently have 55 oral oncology drugs (Specialty Pharmacy) being taken by patients, and she manages the logistics of all of these, including insurance, prescriptions, refills, and scholarship/grant acquisition, which allows her to be able to help patients on a deeper level. Heidi understands the burden that the oncology patients have, outside of their treatment, and she does what she can to take the physical and mental load off of them to make their lives easier. She is invaluable to our oncology program and is the reason superior care is given to oncology patients at Sidney Regional Medical Center.”
Heidi appreciates the supportive culture at SRMC where her role is valued by her leadership and where the nurses, physicians, and surrounding staff support one another to deliver compassionate care every day. She stated, “Watching my patients bravely take on some of the most challenging situations gives me motivation.”
Patients in oncology and hematology come on a very regular basis, sometimes as often as every other week. This allows for close relationships to form as these patients need to be monitored more often for their health and additional support. Heidi’s favorite part about working with patients is developing friendships with them. She stated, “My patients typically have very complex situations and need a lot of assistance. I love being there for them and doing whatever I can to make their situation just a little bit easier. My patients are my extended family, and I truly care about each one of them.”
Thanks to Heidi Nienhueser’s dedication to providing extraordinary care always, she will be attending the NHA Annual Convention that will be held in Omaha this year and will receive her official Caring Kind award at the luncheon. We are so proud to have Heidi on our team! This award is a well-deserved testament to the selfless care Heidi provides every patient.
