LANSING, MI — Sparrow Hospital and Sparrow’s Community Hospitals honored thousands of nurses during this Nurses Week, celebrating the impact they’ve had on countless lives through their passion, compassion, skills, and commitment.
This year’s National Nurses Week theme was “rooted in strength,” appropriate since Sparrow nurses have shown incredible fortitude during these past two years of the worst health crisis of our lifetime.
Nurses Week concluded with ceremonies and recognition at several Sparrow sites of care.
At Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Emergency Department nurse Mandie Miller, RN, was named Nurse of the Year for going above and beyond in delivering compassionate, quality care to her patients. Miller demonstrates nursing excellence and serves as an incredible example of what a nurse should be.
“To say the last couple of years has been challenging is an understatement,” said Tiffani Dusang, director of Emergency and Forensic Nursing Services. “It has challenged even the strongest nurses and strongest leaders. For (Mandie) today to be a leader in the midst of everything we have gone through speaks volumes about her as a person.”
At Sparrow Carson Hospital, there were two Nurse of the Year honorees, Nathan MacLaren, RN, Emergency Department, and Jeremy Steere, RN, Medical Surgical Services.
Sparrow Carson Emergency Department Manager Julie Noreen said, “Nathan is truly a nurse to admire. He is a wonderful role model in his nursing career and in life, a true provider in every sense of the word.”
Medical Surgical Services Manager Stacey Snyder said that “Steere is an integral part of the nursing team on nights and just celebrated 20 years of service at Sparrow Carson.” His nomination noted his quick critical thinking, confidence in any situation, kindness to patients and co-workers, and his standing as an all-around team leader.
There were also two honorees at Sparrow Clinton Hospital, Melissa Ball, RN, and Sandy Ward, BSN, RN. Ball’s nomination form said her “never-ending compassion for life, nursing and individuals she cares for is demonstrated daily.” Ward was lauded for providing “amazing care” to patients by phone and in-person.
Sparrow Eaton Hospital recently Med Surg nurse Andrew Reule, RN, as its Nurse of the Year. Reule’s nomination said “he is a one-of-a-kind nurse whose patients absolutely love him – always being treated with kindness and respect” and noted the commitment he demonstrated working through the pandemic as “a true frontline hero who picked up numerous shifts to help out.”
At Sparrow Ionia Hospital, Emergency Department nurse Jodi Church, BSN, RN, was selected as 2022 Nurse of the Year. Church – a caregiver at Sparrow Ionia since 2019 – was nominated by her colleagues for her positive attitude and continually going above and beyond to provide quality patient care.
To learn more about nursing careers at Sparrow, go to Sparrow.org/nursing [sparrow.org].
