Latest news with #NurseoftheYear
Chicago Tribune
05-08-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Community news: Elmhurst U names health department after longtime nurse, and more
Longtime critical care nurse Diane Tyrrell has been honored by Elmhurst University, which dedicated the Diane Tyrrell Department of Nursing and Public Health during a ceremony at the university's new Health Services Building. The 45,000-square-foot facility, which opens in the fall, will be a hub for the public health and nursing programs, as well as the occupational therapy and communication sciences and disorders programs. Tyrell, a critical care nurse for 45 years, was named Nurse of the Year at University Hospitals Cleveland medical center in 1988. Her husband, Trustee Emeritus Thomas Tyrrell, an alum, has joined her in supporting Elmhurst University for nearly 50 years. He joined the university's board of trustees in 1990 and was a trustee until 2011, including leading the board from 2002-07. He was given the university's Founders Medal in 2007. The Tyrrells also have supported athletics and the Tyrrell Fitness Center, the Annual Fund, campus improvement projects and student scholarships, including the Diane M. Tyrreel Clinical Nursing Endowed Scholarship Fund. 'We are so inspired by how Tom's love for Diane and his alma mater came together to create this generous gift, which will benefit our students and faculty for years to come,' President Troy VanAken shared in a news release. Hinsdale students were among winners of Metra's 18th annual Safety Contest, in which students across the Chicago area used their creativity to educate the public about the importance of being safe around railroad tracks and crossings. In this year's contest, which had a theme of 'See Tracks? Stay Back,' students competed for up to $500 Amazon gift cards for their original artwork. Winners will be featured in Metra's 2026 safety calendar and on its Saturday/Sunday/holiday day passes. Students in fifth through 12th grade could enter hand-drawn or digital artwork, and children in kindergarten through fourth grade entered hand-drawn posters. First-place winners were recognized at a recent Metra board meeting. For hand-drawn posters, Leah Wong, a seventh-grade student at Hinsdale Middle School, and Conner Jaoran Jia, a ninth-grade student at Hinsdale Central High School earned first place. First-grade student Juno Zhao of Lane Elementary School in Hinsdale, and Michael Chen, ninth grade, at Hinsdale Central, were named second-place winners. Third-place winners included Logan Ho, a kindergartner from Madison Elementary School in Hinsdale; Nathan Macrie, third grade, and Grace Fu, second grade, both at Madison Elementary School in Hinsdale. Studying Arabic language and culture is a little easier for Tinley Park resident Mikala Marcussen-Abuharb, Elmhurst University's first student to be accepted into the Critical Language Scholarship program. After finishing the program, Marcussen-Abuharb becomes a priority candidate for the CLS program in Jordan the summer after her senior year at Elmhurst. She'll be a junior this fall. The U.S. Department of State offers the fully funded summer program for undergraduate and graduate students to learn languages that offer 'strategic importance to the United States' national security, economic prosperity, and engagement with the world,' according to a university news release. Its acceptance rate of less than 10% makes it the most competitive foreign language scholarship program in the country. She is one of 20 students who will learn one academic year of university-level work in the eight-week program, which started June 16. She'll also work with a private language instructor. Marcussen-Abuharb served the U.S. Navy for six years as a machinist's mate second class stationed in South Asia and the Middle East after high school. Her husband, a native Arabic speaker from Jordan, sparked her interest in the language. 'We live in a predominantly Arabic-speaking area of Tinley Park, and I have witnessed the inequities in health care access created by language and cultural barriers,' she said via the release. 'My goal is to become a dentist for the Arabic-speaking population, to bridge this gap. I also seek fluency, to converse and better understand the culture of my new family in Jordan.' Donuts with Dads takes place from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 16 at the Hinsdale Public Library, 20 E. Maple St. Fathers can enjoy coffee and the sweet treats while spending time with their children of all ages at the library. Different activities take place each month. Details are at or 630-986-1976. Paul Connery, of Downers Grove, was promoted last month to partner at the personal injury law and medical malpractice firm Levin & Perconti in Chicago. Before joining the firm, Connery was a Cook County state's attorney for four years, working in the Narcotics Prosecutions Bureau. He also was part of the team that started the Chicago Prostitution and Trafficking Intervention Court in Chicago. After that, he spent time defending product liability cases and tort claims at a defense firm. Connery, who has a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a law degree from the Loyola University School of Law, also does volunteer work, serving on the board of directors for Life Span, an organization that serves victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence in the Chicago area. Adults 21 and older who love music from the 1990s should plan to attend Cantigny Rewind, featuring live music with the Boy Band Review tribune group, from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Aug. 9 at Cantigny Park, 1515 Winfield Road in Wheaton. Attendees are invited to dress in throwback attire, snap photos at themed spots, play childhood games and experience creative cocktails and mocktails with a DJ set from Airro Music. The park's beer garden and cafe will offer a variety of hot meals, cold sandwiches and grab-and-go snacks. Upgraded tickets include early entry at 7 p.m., premium parking, four drink tokens and access to a private bar. Before Aug. 9, regular tickets cost $40 and upgraded tickets cost $115; on the day of, tickets cost $45 and $135 respectively. Information is at or 630-668-5161.
West Australian
14-07-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Geraldton nurse Anita Johnson honoured with nurse of the year award for dedicated community care
In Geraldton, one nurse's impact and compassion have made a lasting impression on local families and healthcare peers alike. Anita Johnson, a clinical nurse with the Community Health Team at Geraldton Health Campus, has been named Nurse of the Year for 2025 by the WA Country Health Service. The award, nominated by her colleagues, recognises not only clinical excellence but also a meaningful and sustained contribution to healthcare in the Mid West. 'I like to do good, quietly. So, it was a great surprise — and a very humbling one,' she said. Ms Johnson has devoted more than a decade to supporting families through the challenges of early parenthood. Her work includes developmental health checks, running early parenting groups, and providing vital support with lactation, feeding, and sleep. 'It's beautiful work,' she said. 'Meeting people where they're at, helping them feel confident in their parenting — it's such a valuable space.' Her journey into community nursing came after several years working in the emergency departments and a life-changing experience of becoming a mother herself. 'When I had my babies, it really changed my whole perspective,' Ms Johnson reflected. 'It just made sense to support families the way I wanted to be supported.' Originally from rural New South Wales, Ms Johnson and her family relocated to Geraldton after a road trip around Australia. What was meant to be a one-year adventure became a permanent move. 'Geraldton has this amazing mix,' she said. 'It's well-resourced, it's beautiful, it's got a strong sense of community, and it's a great place to raise a family. 'The pace of life here is what we were looking for.' For Ms Johnson, the deep connection is at the heart of her work. 'You really get to know the families,' she said. 'You see little brothers and sisters coming through. It's a privilege to be part of that journey. She encourages anyone interested in nursing in regional WA to embrace the opportunity. 'You're needed and you're valued,' Ms Johnson said.
Chicago Tribune
28-02-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Advocate nurse lauded amid 45-year career of shining a light on mental health care
Diane Kozik doesn't remember the trauma of rupturing her appendix as a 4-year-old, but she's never forgotten how loved she felt under the hospital's care. For the past 45 years, Kozik has made her patients feel the same way. The longtime Orland Park resident, who began working for Advocate Health Care shortly after graduating from nursing school in 1980, was selected as Advocate South Suburban Hospital's Nurse of the Year. 'I spent some time in the hospital as a kid so I think it all started there, that I wanted to be a nurse,' she said. 'They really put an impression on me and I think I always felt that I would become one.' Kozik followed her brothers into the military. It gave her an opportunity to pursue nursing. 'I wanted to be a nurse but didn't have the money for school so I joined the Army,' she said. 'I knew they wouldn't send me to Vietnam. I had a high school friend who was going to medical school and they encouraged me to go to Monmouth College in a dual program with Rush.' Kozik's commitment to providing best-in-class care then began within the Behavioral Health Unit at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. It has continued at Advocate South Suburban in Hazel Crest. Her tenure also includes the year-and-a-half she spent working in the outpatient behavioral health within the Advocate Christ Behavioral Health Department. From the Army to school to marriage to the hospital, Kozik really has never slowed down from living and giving, even now at 72. 'I got transferred to Rush then went to the job at Christ and I got in with the behavior staff, which was very inviting,' she said. 'I started and never left. We've had a lot of ups and down in the department. The Army taught me to be resilient.' It's allowed her to move forward after losing her 26-year-old daughter, Kristen, to a fentanyl overdose in 2018. 'The environment we live in today, it's hard for people to survive,' she said. 'I connect with people. When my daughter passed in August 2018, I thought I couldn't work another minute. I couldn't help her, but how can I help my co-workers and patients? They've helped me to provide what I could with hands-on experience of what people go through. I have gotten so many thank you and hugs from patients and families by giving them perspective. Not taking over their experience, but relating to how difficult it is for the patient going through it and the family experiencing it.' Advocate South Suburban's Behavioral Health Unit provided acute and intensive care for over 650 patients in its first full year in 2024. Kozik undoubtedly impacted many as a certified psychiatric mental health nurse. 'I've always rolled with the punches,' she said. 'I don't know if the Army taught me that. I never give up. I try to impress that upon my patients. This too will pass. They worry about things that haven't even happened. It's just being able to be resilient and thanks to the support of everybody.' Lena Pettus is a registered nurse who works with Kozik and nominated her for the award. 'I've only known her since last summer,' she said. 'I'm newer to Advocate but have known of her for the past decade. When you are a psych nurse, the community is a small one. Everybody tends to know everybody in different facilities. It's an enigma as a community, very inspiring.' Pettus quickly understood why Kozik was so highly spoken of within the behavioral health community. 'She buddied up to me since I was new and wanted me to be comfortable so I could see why she is so well known since she never stopped going above and beyond,' Pettus said. 'Nurses can get burned out and lose sight, but the things that drive us, the same qualities are her core qualities. And everything with her is effortless compassion and empathy. People will never really know everything she does, she's so quiet and unspoken.' Kozik's supervisor, Ren Robinson, manager of clinical services at Advocate, knows her well, considering she was his mentor. 'I've known her since 2015. She was my preceptor as a new grad nurse,'' Robinson said. 'She even jokes about it to this day. She'd say in orientation that I was going to be her boss. She really kind of pushed me. Diane does that with a lot of people. She helps a lot of nurses and does mentorships out of her own pocket. She's just very generous.' She was inspired to support students after losing her best friend from high school who died at 30 just a year after earning his fellowship to become a doctor. 'When I was in nursing school, he was my support and he pushed me when I wanted to give up,' she said. 'When he passed I made a scholarship and would take one mental health counselor or nursing assistant and give them (a financial) scholarship every semester until they finished. I call them my kids.' After losing Kristin, Kozik's efforts have grown, as has her family. 'When my daughter passed I upped it and upped it,' she said. 'When she passed I had three and I've kept taking them and am now up to 25. It's the best thing I've ever done in my career. I try to keep up with them. They've all gone on to great careers, all kinds of different careers.' And what about Kozik's own career? 45 years is a long time to provide such care in a stressful, emotionally exhausting environment. She also has to think of her rock: her husband, son, daughter-in-law, two grandsons and countless student scholarship mentees, colleagues and friends. Kozik said she's thought about retiring and works in three-month increments. 'It depends on how effective I feel that I can do it,' she said. 'If I make it to May 5 then that's another increment and it's 45 years. My family and friends have been my rock. My 25-plus kids have made me proud. They have kept me going.' As has the need for the kind of mental health she provides. 'I was totally shocked by this. Getting this award means that I'm valued and that mental health is valued in our society,' she said. 'Our patients are the neglected patient population in our community. They come in with multiple issues, and to shine this light on this area of healthcare is valuable to me.' The value she's brought to Advocate is immeasurable.
