The Southeastern Colorado Area Health Education Center has announced its search for nurses to be nominated for the 2020 Nightingale Awards. These awards are presented to a select number of nurses throughout the state each year by the Colorado Nurses Foundation in collaboration with SECAHEC. SECAHEC conducts the search for nominees from throughout the 15 southeastern Colorado counties it serves. Other Area Health Education Centers secure nominations from other parts of the state. 

All local nominees will be recognized for their achievements at a banquet in Pueblo on March 27, 2020. A special awards committee will review the nominations and select several nominees to receive a Luminary Award. Those nurses and other Luminaries from throughout the state will attend an event in Denver May 9, 2020, sponsored by the Colorado Nurses Foundation where the Finalists will receive Nightingale Awards in recognition of their achievements. 

“Nurses are an enormously important part of the health care system in rural areas like southeastern Colorado and it is only fitting that their contributions are recognized,” said Doreen Gonzales, SECAHEC’s executive director. “Any individual or organization can nominate a nurse for this honor.” “In order to make all nurses eligible they can be nominated in either the clinical practice or administration categories. Clinical nurses deal directly with patients while administrative nurses are involved in administrative, education, research and other non-traditional areas.”

Since the SECAHEC Nightingale Nurse Recognition award program was initiated in 1986, more than 250 southeastern Colorado nurses have been nominated. SECAHEC has recognized nurses in the counties it serves including Baca, Bent, Chaffee, Cheyenne, Crowley, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa, Lake, Las Animas, Otero, Park, Prowers, Pueblo and Teller counties. 

“As a financial institution that serves southeastern Colorado, we understand healthy communities require access to great healthcare and great healthcare is essential to thriving communities,” commented Andrew Trainor Regional President of Legacy Bank which is a sponsor of the SECAHEC Nightingale award program. 

“Shining a light on individuals that are a key to building up the communities we serve is an honor. We hope that by helping to recognize these unsung heroes that we can encourage more medical professionals to seek out professional healthcare opportunities especially in rural Colorado,” added Trainor. “If we can find more ways to support this industry through funding, encouragement and strategy, we can work together to build a stronger Colorado.”

Any person wishing to nominate a nurse for the Nightingale Award can obtain information about the process by visiting www.coloradonursesfoundation.com. The nomination deadline is January 15, 2020.