Nominations being accepted for Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare awards program

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Nominations for the 20^th annual Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare awards program are being accepted. This program recognizes outstanding registered nurses in Kansas and metropolitan Kansas City for their dedication to patient care, their communities and the nursing profession. The University of Kansas School of Nursing coordinates this prestigious awards program as a public service. Nominations are accepted until Sept. 30, 2012, and nomination forms can be found at www.HOHCawards.com.

More than 5,500 nurses have been nominated for this award since the program began in 1989. Ten winners are chosen annually from among the hundreds of nurses who are nominated. Nursing: The Heart of Healthcare recognizes the care, expertise and patient advocacy that nurses provide to Kansas and metro Kansas City residents each year. This awards program offers patients, families, colleagues, community members and health professionals an opportunity to honor the nurses who have touched their lives. Registered nurses who work in any setting – from hospitals to health clinics, from school nurses to physician offices – in metropolitan Kansas City or in the state of Kansas are eligible to be nominated for this award. Affiliation with the University of Kansas School of Nursing is not required to be nominated or to receive the award.

“Each winner and nominee has forged a distinguished career that combines outstanding professional knowledge with the unwavering capacity for caring that is the essence of nursing,” said Karen L. Miller, RN, PhD, FAAN, dean of the KU School of Nursing and senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, University of Kansas Medical Center. “They have made an indelible mark on the lives of patients and their family members. We will be forever grateful for their dedication and commitment to nursing.”

             The 10 award recipients will be honored with other nominees at the annual banquet on Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, at the Westin Crown Center, Kansas City, Mo. Award winners are chosen by a committee of health professionals, past award winners and community and business leaders from across Kansas and metropolitan Kansas City.

To obtain a nomination form, go to www.HOHCawards.com to submit a nomination form online and to print out promotional fliers. If you want: more information about the program, a nomination form by fax or mail, or to inquire about attending the awards banquet, please contact the Nursing the Heart of Healthcare Hotline at (800) 308-0890 or via email at HOHCinfo@kumc.edu.

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.

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