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Betty Baker Awarded State Nightingale Recipient
For the first time in its 21-year history, a nurse from Colorado Plains Medical Center was selected by the Colorado Nurses Foundation (CNF) for the prestigious state Nightingale award.
Betty Baker, RN, a nurse professional for 45 years was one of six nurses from 15 state finalists who were presented with a coveted bronze sculpture of Florence Nightingale created by artist Jan Searle-Kubby at a special banquet held in Denver on May 12th, Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
“Betty Baker delivers compassionate, selfless care everyday of her life. Colorado Plains Medical Center is and has always been honored to have her serving our patients,” remarks Ken Cochran, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at Colorado Plains Medical Center.
Baker is described by hospital co-workers as a model nursing professional, an anchor for the nursing team at CPMC, a life-long community healthcare provider, and outstanding educator. The contacts and resources she became familiar with in previous work in home care and as a wound and ostomy nurse helps her in her current role as Case Manager and Discharge Planner. Looking at standards of care and what is best for the patient, conversing with nursing staff and physicians, is part of her daily review of hospitalized patients.
Baker helped open a home care agency for the hospital in addition to starting a Hospice volunteer group in the community. She also serves on the Morgan Community College Nursing Advisory Board. She loves mentoring students, new graduate nurses and experienced nurses moving into leadership positions.
She also serves on several community boards, including the Caring Ministries, which works with the community and churches to provide assistance with finances, clothing, medical help, and housing to those in need. Her 18 years of being on the Fort Morgan Housing Authority Board has also afforded her the opportunity to care for the community through assisting people with housing needs.
“I believe that nursing can be whatever one wants to make it,” maintains Baker.
“However, the nursing has to come from the heart of someone who cares. It felt good to be honored for my work over the years. There are some truly remarkable people in Colorado who are doing some fantastic things in nursing and I was surprised to be considered one of those individuals who was honored for contribution, value, and commitment to excellence in the health care system,” Baker notes.
Other 2007 Nightingale award recipients included: Susan Law, RN, Vice President of HCA Clinical Resources in Denver; Charlotte Ledonne, RN, Nurse Coordinator for the San Luis Valley Area Health Education Center; Joseph Ortega, RN, School Nurse in the Denver Public School System; Kim Spinelli, RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Pain Management at Memorial Health System in Colorado Springs; and Jackie Westhoven, RN,
Kim Christiansen, co-anchor of the 4:00 p.m. newscast for Channel 9News served as Master of Ceremonies for the event. The attendees also were treated to musical selections from Thunder Ridge High School Flute Choir and heard a moving presentation from a young man, Denver Haslam, on his will to survive after a critical skiing accident and the nurses he met along the way that contributed to his remarkable recovery.
Colorado Plains Medical Center will be hosting a special reception to honor Baker in June. Specific details will be noted in upcoming issues of the Fort Morgan Times. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.