The Albert E. Dyckes Healthcare Worker of the Year Award is given each year to one Ohio caregiver who personifies a leader who gives back to the community and routinely goes beyond the call of duty. All nominees will be honored at the June OHA Recognition Banquet in Columbus.
Kim Stewart, RN, clinical analyst in the Wilson Health Information and Technology Department, is the 2017 Wilson Health nominee for the Ohio Hospital Association’s (OHA) Albert E. Dykes Healthcare Worker of the Year Award.
Kim Stewart, RN, serves as a clinical analyst in the Wilson Health Information and Technology Department. She started her career in 1998 as a PCT in the Acute Care Unit. Today, Kim serves as an integral part of the IT team. She is the key administrator for the hospital’s clinical platforms. Her journey hasn’t been easy. A loving mother to three children, Kim has two sons serving in the U.S. Marines Corps and a daughter, born addicted to heroin, she adopted while working as a labor and delivery nurse. Kim’s work extends beyond the walls of the hospital. She started the annual Hope Launch event where families unite together to recognize National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. A cancer survivor, Kim continues to challenge herself and is pursuing her BSN from Purdue University.
Great Leader
Kim serves as Wilson Health’s key administrator for different clinical systems and platforms throughout the hospital’s patient care areas. She is responsible for implementation of new systems to ensure efficient functionality for both physicians and staff. Kim is the Meaningful Use team lead for both Wilson Health and Wilson Health Medical Group and ensures compliancy standards are met for CMS attestation. Prior to joining the IT Department, Kim was a labor and delivery nurse in the Family Birth Center for 7 years. During that time, she served as a Neonatal Resuscitation Program instructor as well as a Childbirth Education instructor. Kim also worked with pregnant high school students through the GRADS program; promoting personal growth, educational competence and economic self-sufficiency to young students. She also served as the Bereavement Coordinator. During that time, Kim founded and started the annual Hope Launch event at Wilson Health. This special event, held in conjunction with National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, unites families together who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss. This year marks the ninth year for the event.
Goes Beyond the Call of Duty
Kim has been with Wilson Health for 19 years. Over the years she has certainly advanced in her career, yet if you ask her she will say each opportunity has been a calling to help others. In 2008, while working as a labor and delivery nurse at Wilson Health’s Family Birth Center, Kim received a call from her son’s school stating that they were transporting him to the Emergency Department. After an initial evaluation, the decision was made to transfer Kim’s son to Dayton Children’s Hospital for further evaluation and testing. Simultaneously, a newborn baby girl was born that very same day. Due to complications from drug abuse, the newborn was transferred to Dayton Children’s Hospital for ongoing care. The child’s birth mother was a relative of Kim’s and the two ended up running into each other during their stay. It was at this time that the birth mother asked Kim if she would take and care for her newborn daughter.
Without hesitation, Kim agreed. After a long and emotional court battle, Kim officially adopted her daughter, Addison, on November 5, 2013, one day shy of her fifth birthday.
Reflects the mission and values of organization
Kim not only reflects the mission and values of Wilson Health, she lives them. Throughout her 19 year, and counting, career at Wilson Health, Kim continues to aspire to new heights always taking on new challenges and opportunities to make a difference not only within the hospital setting, but in the community. At Wilson Health, Caring Without Limits is not just a tagline; it’s our promise to all we serve. Kim’s actions both inside and outside the hospital walls are examples and proof of her ongoing commitment to improve the health of the community, so people can spend more time doing what they love, with those they love. This is the mission of Wilson Health. When asked the question, “Why Wilson Health”? Kim’s response, “I truly feel like I am encouraged to grow within the Wilson Health organization. I feel like it is my responsibility and purpose. The opportunities and experiences that have been presented to me over the years have not only helped me become a better employee, but they have made me a better person.”
Gives Back to the Community
Born and raised in Sidney, Ohio, Kim has always called Shelby County her home. When she worked as a RN in the Family Birth Center, Kim also taught childbirth education classes for expectant parents in the community. She also served as the bereavement coordinator where she worked to help diffuse the stress for families dealing with pregnancy and infant loss. It was during this time that she founded and started the Hope Launch event. Kim had received a letter from a mother who had lost a baby shortly after delivery. It was this letter that prompted Kim to research ideas and possible events or programs that could unite families together who have experienced similar loss and hardships. In 2009, Kim started the very first annual Hope Launch event in the community. Every year in October, parents and families come together for a special event and ceremony on National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day to honor the memory of the children lost too soon. “The Hope Launch has been a very thoughtful and special event for us at Wilson Health,” said Jana Schnippel, director of the Family Birth Center. “We are so fortunate that Kim started this program for our community. We have parents and families that remain connected to this day because of this wonderful event.”