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Nancy Gunther
Date: March 22, 2010
In 2003, Nancy Gunther was named a Floyd Hero “because of her commitment to improving hospital operations and to providing patients with first-quality health care.”
The traits that earned her that special recognition seven years ago ring true today. Since joining Floyd Medical Center in 1995, Nancy pioneered efforts to save the organization thousands of dollars by regulating the use of expensive hospital mattresses sometimes requested for wound patients unnecessarily. Over the years, she has continued to champion the cause of skin wounds, conducting educational sessions with nurses and insisting on documentation and patient follow-up. But she didn’t stop there.
As manager of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Clinic, the Diabetes Clinic and the Infusion Therapy Clinic, she worked to make those programs standouts at Floyd. And, it was during that time that her ailing heart sidelined her, albeit briefly. After heart surgery, her doctors ordered her to stay off her feet. She did, but she called in daily to see if she could do some work from home. She returned to work in a motorized scooter, humming from one meeting to the next as she helped to guide the Bariatric Services program from its infancy into a designated Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence. And, while these successes are a testament to her tenacity and vision, it is Nancy’s approach to patient care that has made her a nurse’s nurse and a patient’s best advocate.
“I knew from my first visit that I was in the hands of well-trained people who loved their work and not just their pay,” one patient wrote about Nancy in a letter to the president and CEO of Floyd. “She is absolutely wonderful and the finest example of medical professionalism that I have ever known.”
Traci Tillery, who has worked with Nancy for years, says:
“She has touched so many lives with the way she moves through this world. She has been the rock in my career. I see little quirky things in my practice that scream “Nancy”. To do what we do, you have to have a true love and passion. She passed this on to me and I am thankful.”
The documentation of Nancy’s exemplary care is extensive.
Wilma Chisolm, who works in Quality Assurance, recalls a time when Nancy came to the rescue and left a lasting impression with an ostomy patient who needed education and reassurance:
“He was really upset on his first visit following surgery because he didn’t feel that anyone could teach him how to take care of it. We didn’t have the setup or supplies in the office so I called and asked for Nancy’s help. She jumped right in, took wonderful care of him and helped give quality to his last months. He sang Nancy’s praises every time he returned to the office.”
Wilma wrote Nancy a letter, thanking her for her example:
“Thanks so much for the care you have given to so many…I have always known that I could call you, and you have never turned me down. It was wonderful to know I had someone in my corner to help take care of these sick folks.…There was no one in the office who was as well informed as you were. I have constantly heard how caring and knowledgeable you are and how much you have helped ease their pain and helped them heal.
“I will always be grateful for the teaching and assistance you gave me when I worked the floor. I will carry your teaching with me always.”
Sometimes the “outstanding” part of a story is not in a single act. Rather, as with Nancy, it is a record of consistency, compassion and leadership that has moved the adjective from outstanding to legacy.
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