USA Health staff celebrated during National Nurses Week
Celebrating nurses honors their expertise, resilience, and dedication, while recognizing the vital role they play in improving outcomes and strengthening communities every day.
Nurses who work across USA Health, the academic health system for the University of South Alabama, were honored during National Nurses Week, an event established to recognize the invaluable contributions these healthcare heroes make every day.
“We are incredibly grateful to all of the nurses who serve our patients and health system,” said Natalie Fox, DNP, CEO of USA Health. “They are often the first to comfort a patient, the last to leave the bedside, and a constant presence guiding families through some of life’s most difficult moments. Their clinical expertise, compassion and advocacy drive quality, safety, and trust in healthcare every single day. We wouldn’t be able to provide the care we do without them.”
To mark National Nurses Week, small tokens of gratitude were bestowed on these caregivers, including gift cards, plants, service pins, ice cream parties and more. Chaplain Kim Crawford-Meeks, spiritual health and counseling manager for USA Health, visited the system’s hospitals to pray for and bless the hands of those who care for so many.
At University Hospital, nurses were provided with a week’s worth of activities, including an ice cream party, photo booth and a popular vendor fair attended by Azalea Trail Maids.
At Providence Hospital, nurses were given everything from gift cards to cosmetic bags to flowering plants. The following nurses were presented with awards to recognize their service:
- Sara Walker, Recovery
- Schenevia Denise Jones, Medical-Surgical
- Nho Vo, Nurse Staffing
- Lydia "Grace" Zagar, Critical Care
- Faith Daniels, Telemetry
- Kimberly Overstreet, Labor & Delivery
- Christine "Chris" Spisak, Preoperative
- Danielle Wilson, Peri-Operative main operating room
- Abigail "Abby" Kelley, Emergency Department
- Julia "Darcy" Kelley, Charge Nurse
- Shane Sullivan, VAT Team, Nursing Support
At Children’s & Women’s Hospital, more than a dozen outstanding men and women received special recognition with Nursing Excellence Awards. Three employees representing neonatology, pediatrics, and women’s care were given Lifetime Achievement Awards:
- Yolanda Fields, 38 years of service
- Orvia Woods, 32 years of service
- Leslie Sheldon, 34 years of service
These Children’s & Women’s Hospital nurses also were recognized:
- Jenny Nguyen, Pediatric Nurse Award
- Torie Humphries, Women’s Health Nurse Award
- Sydney Carr, Neonatal Nurse Award
- Jonathan Herrington, Nurse Leader Award
- Britney Bryan, Women’s Service Line Award
- Elaina Williams, Clinical Nursing Support Award
- Lynn Pointer, Excellence in Patient Advocacy Award
- Leslie Drexinger, Resilience and Dedication Award
- Britney Clark, Community Impact & Outreach Award
- Jacki Blain, Jag Award
- Kayla Wielgosz, Nightingale Award for Compassionate Care
At the Mitchell Cancer Institute, nurses were treated to a variety of snacks and desserts throughout the week, with snow cones provided, too. Clinical care spaces were adorned with signs and other festive decorations to mark the special week.
