Community Health Network

2009 Nursing Excellence Awards

Community Health Network registered nurses and licensed practical nurses strive for excellence in professional practice. And now is your chance to nominate one (or more) for a 2009 Nursing Excellence Award. Nominations will only be accepted online. The nomination process begins Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at 12:00 a.m. and runs through Friday, July 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. Click here to learn more and nominate >>

Nursing at Community

Terra Hunt, R.N., Forest Stone, R.N., and Jo Flinn, R.N., Community Nurses Community Health Network’s dedicated nurses join the network family for a number of reasons. Some know that nursing is their calling from the outset and make lifelong careers of it, while others cross over from entirely different career paths, willing to try something new and challenge themselves in different ways. Still others return to the network after a hiatus, because they know that Community cares and will help foster a fulfilling future with them.

Meet three nurses who entered the Community family from unique paths and learn what led them here (and kept them) in the stories below. Video links to each can also be found at the top of the page.

Terra Hunt, R.N.
Community Hospital Anderson
Terra Hunt, R.N., has worked at Community Hospital Anderson for the past 31 years. She started behind a desk as a unit clerk/secretary and later used the education reimbursement program to go to school and follow her path to become a registered nurse. Now, care manager on her unit, Hunt says, “What I like about being a part of the Community Anderson family is the close relationships I have developed with my peers, the physicians, the patients and the people in other departments.” According to Hunt, “Nursing is about loving people.” Having that personal interaction with the patients and their families is something she is passionate about.

Forest Stone, R.N.
Community Hospital East
Forest Stone's, path started with a paved road and big rig. Stone, R.N., was a truck driver for more than 20 years before changing lanes to nursing. Always interested in medicine, Stone had put his aspirations on hold to care for the needs of his young family. After a six-month hospital stay following a major truck accident, the nurses who cared for him inspired him to make a change. He enrolled in nursing school and became a student nurse extern at The Indiana Heart Hospital, a program he credits as an invaluable experience where he was able to build confidence in new skills with hands-on experience. He adds, “I really enjoy working here because everyone is eager to help you become the best nurse possible and is genuinely happy to see you succeed.”

Jo Flinn, R.N.
Community Hospital East
After 20 years of nurturing and raising two children, Jo Flinn, R.N., still had more to give and found a new family to share it with. Flinn found not only a refresher course at Community but a welcoming environment. A huge proponent of the culture of nursing, she felt a real call to come back and has worked in oncology for the last 10 years since. She says, “Being a good nurse is a state of mind, and that never changes.” Flinn, who is a part-time nurse, feels like her input is sought and her voice is heard. She recently received her oncology certification and values the way that Community supports education.

Community nurses spotlighted at Salute to Nurses ceremony

Marchusa Huff, R.N., Ph.D., and Margaret Moore, R.N., were honored in the annual Salute to Nurses program sponsored by The Indianapolis Star Margaret Moore, R.N., was honored with the Lifetime of Compassion Award in the annual Salute to Nurses program sponsored by The Indianapolis Star. Moore has been part of the network family since 1966 and currently serves as a CV quality data facilitator.

Winners, finalists and honorable mentions took the spotlight April 22 at a special luncheon sponsored by The Indianapolis Star. They also will be recognized in a special pull-out section in the newspaper May 3, and on the Star's Web site.

Another Community Health Network nurse, Marchusa Huff, R.N., Ph.D., earned an honorable mention. Huff, who has been with Community since 1991, works at Community North and rotates between the general inpatient surgery unit, ortho/neuro/spine unit and the medical oncology renal unit. She is a retired professor from the Indiana University School of Nursing.

To view a video spotlighting Moore and Huff, their views on nursing and working at Community, click the image to the right.

In all, Community nurses tallied 125 nominations in this year's Salute to Nurses competition.

Community nurses took top honors at Nurses Rock!

Community nurses stood out on January 31, 2009 at the Nurses Rock event, presented by Indy’s soft rock station B105.7. This first ever event was designed to celebrate the nurses of Indiana for tirelessly giving of themselves every day on the front lines of health care. Out of five categories, Community nurses won four of them.

Team Player – Lori Kutruff from Community East Cardiac Cath Lab received this award for her selfless support of all departments of the hospital and going above and beyond the call of duty.
Mentor – Darla Kille from Community North Family Rooms was awarded this for her everlasting willingness to help/train others while maintaining the respect of her peers and management.
Best Bedside Manner – Rosemary Huff from Community Home Health Services was acknowledged for her ability to make patients and their family members feel at ease and comfortable with their stay.
Funny Bone Award – Nancy Peters from Community South ER was honored for the all around optimistic personality she shares with staff, as well as patients, and her positive attitude toward working together as a team.

"This is, yet again, another reminder that our nurses are the best at what they do," says Chief Nursing Officer Jan Bingle. "We are happy to celebrate their successes and recognize them for the contributions they make throughout the network every day," adds Bingle. "Community nurses have set the bar for administering exceptional patient care, and it does not go unnoticed."

Each of the winners received a plaque and a $5000 scholarship from The College Network to pursue their bachelor’s or master’s degrees in nursing.

Nursing careers at Community

Have you started to think about your career? We have.

We’re are ranked among the top 40 integrated health care networks in the nation, and our commitment to provide our patients with the best quality care begins with recruiting the brightest RNs and providing them with the learning opportunities and resources they need to launch their career.

We also offer specialized nursing programs, including the Cardiovascular Nursing Institute, OR training, Medical/Surgical, Emergency Department and Critical Care internships, and nursing refresher courses.

It’s your life. It’s your career. It’s your Community.

Click below to start your job search now.

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