UK HealthCare Nurses

UK HealthCare Nurses Every patient, every time. Make a difference! At UK HealthCare we are proud of our great nursing services.

Our creative leadership and quality initiatives in care, education and research are dedicated to the well-being of patients and their families. We look for the best and the brightest individuals who are articulate, tenacious, and passionate about patient-centered care. We intend to provide superior care and a superior experience for our patients and families. Our ambition as nursing professionals

is to evolve our practice to the level where each of us would be comfortable to bring our families, friends and others to receive the very best in nursing care.

We’re proud to celebrate Patty Hughes, DNP, RN, NE-BC, chief nursing officer for ambulatory services, who has received t...
04/30/2026

We’re proud to celebrate Patty Hughes, DNP, RN, NE-BC, chief nursing officer for ambulatory services, who has received the Ambulatory Care Nursing Hall of Fame Award from the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses (AAACN).

Hughes’ leadership, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to advancing ambulatory care nursing have elevated both the profession and quality of care delivered to our patients.

“None of this would be possible without the constant support, encouragement and teamwork of the incredible people I am honored to work with every day,” said Hughes, adding, “I am so proud of the work we have done together in ambulatory care, and to have that work recognized in this way fills my heart with gratitude and tremendous joy.”

Please join us in congratulating Hughes on this well-deserved recognition!

Medical ICU nurses Jessie Harris, ADN, and Kaytlin Ashcraft-Childers, RN, BSN, were jointly awarded a DAISY Award for ex...
04/22/2026

Medical ICU nurses Jessie Harris, ADN, and Kaytlin Ashcraft-Childers, RN, BSN, were jointly awarded a DAISY Award for exhibiting extraordinary compassion in caring for a patient and the patient’s family during their final days.

The DAISY Award, presented in partnership with The DAISY Foundation, is awarded to nurses who go above and beyond for their patients and families, making a meaningful difference in their lives.

The patient was a grandmother who came into the ICU coding. She was accompanied by a son, two daughters, and several grandchildren.

“We gave the family as much time as we could to make those hard decisions. We kept them updated on her care and how it was progressing, just doing everything we could to support them,” said Harris.

After deliberation, the family agreed that the patient should receive comfort care. After she passed, the family made a request. Their intention was to cremate the deceased, but they wanted to spend time with her in as natural a state as possible before saying goodbye.

“As quickly as we could, Kaytlin and I bathed her. We brushed her hair. We turned off the monitor and tried to remove as much medical equipment as we could to make the room comfortable for them,” said Harris.

The nurses made keepsakes for the family, memory jars that held the patient’s heartbeat and fingerprints. Together they left a lasting impression on the family and honored a patient's passing with compassion.

Both nurses were eager to praise the entire team of nurses working in the ICU, saying that the care they gave was just another day at the office.

“I feel like pretty much everybody I work with should be nominated for a DAISY Award,” said Ashcraft-Childers. “I’m flattered and honored to have won, but I would like to toot their horns because they are awesome.”

Canopy Con starts tomorrow! Kentucky’s premier conference on urban and community forestry returns to the Fayette County ...
04/22/2026

Canopy Con starts tomorrow! Kentucky’s premier conference on urban and community forestry returns to the Fayette County Extension Office on Thursday, April 23.

This year’s theme is “Healthy Trees – Healthy People: Benefits of Urban Trees on Mental and Physical Health.” The all-day (8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.) event will feature nationally recognized expert speakers in the morning and hands-on field demonstrations in the afternoon.

This year’s Canopy Con keynote speaker is Dr. Geoffrey Donovan, a forest economist, who will discuss the surprising benefits communities receive from trees and urban canopies.

In the afternoon, the Fayette County Extension Office’s surrounding field and woodland areas will provide an ideal setting for multiple hands-on demonstrations. Attendees will engage with the Japanese meditative art of forest bathing, food forests, urban trees and social justice, and advice to cope with challenges of planting trees in urban environments.

The Fayette County Extension Office is located at 1140 Harry Sykes Way in Lexington. Standard registration Canopy Con 2026 is $60, and includes lunch, coffee and light snacks. Limited student pricing is available.

Visit the Canopy Con website to view a full list of speakers and register today: https://bit.ly/3Op59Ec

Carrie Sawyers, MSN, SCRN, was recently announced as the new stroke program manager for UK HealthCare’s Comprehensive St...
04/20/2026

Carrie Sawyers, MSN, SCRN, was recently announced as the new stroke program manager for UK HealthCare’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.

In this role, Sawyers oversees all stroke program operations, supports compliance with regulatory and certification standards, and works closely with clinical teams to enhance patient care and outcomes.

Sawyers brings a strong background in stroke care coordination, quality improvement and interdisciplinary collaboration to the role. She spent over 15 years with the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute at UK HealthCare, working as a bedside nurse and a stroke transfer coordinator.

“This new role allows me to grow both clinically and as a leader,” said Sawyers. “UK has always encouraged professional development and this position challenges me to strengthen my leadership, collaboration and quality improvement skills while continuing to learn and evolve in a specialty that I am passionate about.”

Please join us in congratulating Carrie Sawyers as she takes on this new role!

Join the next UK-sponsored Pediatric Town Hall, taking place Wednesday, April 29 at noon. Dr. Kimberly Jones will lead t...
04/15/2026

Join the next UK-sponsored Pediatric Town Hall, taking place Wednesday, April 29 at noon. Dr. Kimberly Jones will lead the conversation on “The Effects of THC Vapes and Ma*****na Use on Adolescent Brain Development.”

The complimentary event is open to all interested medical providers, staff and administrators. Register for the April 29 Town Hall here (https://bit.ly/41w7qQM).

If you have questions you’d like to have addressed during the town hall, you may submit them in advance to Physician Liaison Michele Brock at michele.brock@uky.edu.

To learn more Pediatric Town Halls, enjoy our interview with Michele Brock and Golisano Children’s Physician in Chief Dr. Scottie Day: https://bit.ly/3OzGexG.

UK HealthCare is proud to celebrate Kayla Grubb, BSN, RN, as the recipient of the prestigious DAISY Award, an internatio...
04/13/2026

UK HealthCare is proud to celebrate Kayla Grubb, BSN, RN, as the recipient of the prestigious DAISY Award, an international honor that recognizes nurses for extraordinary clinical skills and compassionate care. The DAISY Award, presented in partnership with The DAISY Foundation, is awarded to nurses who go above and beyond for their patients and families, making a meaningful difference in their lives.

Grubb was nominated for the DAISY Award by the family of a patient she cared for during an especially difficult time. While supporting a patient’s spouse as they faced their partner’s final days after 63 years of marriage, she went above and beyond to ensure the family could spend precious moments together. She coordinated daily visits, purchased flowers from the gift shop and wrote a heartfelt, hand-written letter to comfort the family. Even after the patient was transferred to hospice, Grubb continued her thoughtful gestures, visiting the grandmother at the Markey Cancer Center and bringing flowers. Her compassion and personal connection left a lasting impression on the family, who described feeling truly valued by her care.

“While every situation is different, my goal is always to recognize what matters most to each individual patient and do what I can to support them—not just clinically, but emotionally as well,” said Grubb. “For this patient, what really stood out to me was how emotional he was about the anticipated loss of his wife. You could feel how much he loved her and how difficult it was for him to even talk about her condition. In that moment, it didn’t feel like just another patient interaction—it felt like witnessing a very personal and meaningful chapter in their lives. Taking him to get flowers just felt right. It was a small thing, but it gave him a chance to show his love for her one more time and honor their marriage. Sometimes it’s those little moments that mean the most.”

UK HealthCare congratulates Grubb on this well-deserved recognition and thanks her for her extraordinary compassion, dedication and the positive impact she continues to make every day.

UK HealthCare’s Community Health Coordinator Olivia Sutherland was one of four recipients of the 2026 BEE (Be Extraordin...
04/11/2026

UK HealthCare’s Community Health Coordinator Olivia Sutherland was one of four recipients of the 2026 BEE (Be Extraordinary Every Day) Awards. The BEE Awards honor non-nursing team members who demonstrate outstanding dedication to patient care, often making a profound impact behind the scenes by supporting patients through complex and challenging circumstances.

Sutherland was nominated for the BEE Award for her unwavering support of a patient who suffered a severe medical crisis in late 2025. The patient faced lasting health challenges, including cardiac, kidney and brain damage, as well as permanent nerve damage. In the months that followed, Sutherland joined the patient’s support system, helping them navigate financial aid and providing ongoing compassion and practical assistance. She ensured the patient could secure financial assistance through UK HealthCare, helping them gain access to consistent primary and chronic care.

“Without the financial assistance application and us getting that approved, they wouldn’t have been able to get the chronic care they needed,” said Sutherland. “Now they are able to get that consistent care.”

UK HealthCare congratulates Sutherland on receiving the BEE Award and thanks her for her extraordinary compassion and commitment to improving the lives of patients every day across Kentucky.

Attention art lovers! UK’s Art Trail opens Thursday, April 16, with a special event from 4 – 7 p.m. Discover creativity...
04/09/2026

Attention art lovers! UK’s Art Trail opens Thursday, April 16, with a special event from 4 – 7 p.m.
Discover creativity throughout UK’s campus on this self-guided walking tour, where you’ll find unique galleries showcasing artists from Kentucky and the surrounding region.

“There’s an arts ecosystem throughout UK’s entire campus, and we want to make people aware of the impressive breadth of art we have on display. This is our own gallery hop,” said Arts in HealthCare Program Manager Jason Akhtarekhavari.

If participants in the Art Trail visit at least three stops during the event and have their map stamped at each destination, they may receive a free, exclusive artwork (while supplies last) created by a UK faculty member. The artwork is available for pickup at the UK Art Museum within the Singletary Center for the Arts.

Galleries featured throughout the Art Trail are the UK Art Museum, the Great Hall Gallery in the Student Center, SAV’s Bolivar Gallery, the Gray Design Building Gallery, and four in Pavilion A of Chandler Hospital: the Celebrate Kentucky Wall, Chapel Gallery, UK Hospital Auxiliary Gallery and Jacqueline R. Hamilton Gallery.

Learn more about the Art Trail event and the various galleries at https://bit.ly/4ttenxO.

Congrats to Brooke N. Bridges, PharmD, BCACP, associate director for ambulatory care pharmacy clinical services, for bei...
04/08/2026

Congrats to Brooke N. Bridges, PharmD, BCACP, associate director for ambulatory care pharmacy clinical services, for being the grand prize winner of our 2026 tourney time trivia. She’s taking home some new swag, including a basketball autographed by UK Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Pope!

Out of hundreds of participants, Bridges was one of just 11 UK HealthCare employees to get the correct answer for all six trivia questions posted during March Madness. Way to go!

Registration is open for the BREATHE Online To***co Treatment Specialist (TTS) Training, an accredited, self-paced progr...
04/07/2026

Registration is open for the BREATHE Online To***co Treatment Specialist (TTS) Training, an accredited, self-paced program designed to equip healthcare professionals with practical evidence-based skills to support to***co dependence across a range of clinical settings.

The upcoming courses will take place on May 6 and June 24, 2026. UK employees will receive a 20% discount on the cost of the training if they indicate their employment during sign-up.

The training program is accredited by the Council for To***co Treatment Training Programs (CTTTP) and is delivered fully online for maximum flexibility. Upon completion of the program, participants receive a training certificate and become eligible to apply for professional certification through the American Heart Association.

Interested participants may register at https://bit.ly/3P2Zzau. The course costs $900. For additional information, email breathetts@uky.edu or call 859-323-3550.

UK HealthCare commends Nurse Alex Clapper, BSN, RN, for her recent DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.The DAISY Award ...
04/02/2026

UK HealthCare commends Nurse Alex Clapper, BSN, RN, for her recent DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

The DAISY Award is an international program honoring individual nurses, nurse leaders and nursing teams that exhibit extraordinary, compassionate care and excellent clinical skills.

Clapper, a MICU nurse, was taking care of a terminally ill patient during their final days. The patient's spouse described how grateful they were to have Clapper there during an exceptionally difficult time. She provided compassionate care to both the patient and their family, going above and beyond by creating keepsakes, such as fingerprint art and glass bottles containing a recording of their heartbeat for the patient’s young children.

Clapper’s kindness and thoughtful gestures made a deep impact on the family. Please join us in wishing her congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!

Davonda Green, a patient clerical assistant at UK HealthCare, recently won a 2026 BEE (Be Extraordinary Every Day) Award...
04/01/2026

Davonda Green, a patient clerical assistant at UK HealthCare, recently won a 2026 BEE (Be Extraordinary Every Day) Award. The awards are given out for moments of significant patient care from non-nursing team members.

For Green, that meant acting quickly to save a patient’s life when they had a severe anaphylactic reaction. The young patient was alone in her hospital room. Her mother had briefly stepped out, and nursing staff were with other patients. As the anaphylactic reaction set in, the patient urgently hit the call button.

“I was told, if she hits that call button, I’d better hurry and reach out to nurses for her medicine because it was a life-or-death situation,” said Green, who has served at UK’s Chandler Hospital for 28 years.

Green answered and quickly recognized the patient needed emergency assistance. She alerted the floor care team and stayed by the patient’s side, attempting to keep her calm until they arrived.

“I told her, ‘Hold on. Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.’ And I waited until her mother was with her,” she said. “It was a little scary, because I’d never seen a patient like that before. I’m not always hands-on but, when the nurses and techs are busy, I try to help out.”

Thanks to Green’s quick thinking, the patient received life-saving medication. Both the patient and her mother were deeply grateful, nominating Green for one of UK HealthCare’s first-ever BEE Awards.

“I’ve been here a long time, and I’ve never had anything like this. I thought they were joking when I learned I won,” she said. “I love the people I work with.”

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