2011 VA Secretary's Award Winners
Left to right: Chief Nursing Officer Cathy Rick, Michael Winn, Karie Drollinger, Faith Andrulot, Secretary Shinseki, Linda Hudson, Christie Locke, Mary Walters and Under Secretary for Health Petzel at the Secretary’s nursing excellence award ceremony.
Karie Drollinger, CHPNA, VA Illiana Health Care System, Danville, IL
Ms. Drollinger graces her presence to the aging population on the Community Living Center units, on the acute medicine floor and Intensive Care Unit. It is her strong belief that no individual should be left alone, at the end of life. Through her commitment to providing excellence to our Palliative Care Veterans, she has developed and is the Coordinator for the "No one dies alone" program. We currently have 16 "Angel Wing Volunteers" and the program continues to grow.
Ms. Drollinger carries a passion for Veteran-centered care. Her commitment to this passion is seen through her continued yearning for education. Ms. Drollinger is certified in Hospice and Palliative Care through the Hospice Palliative Nursing Association (HPNA). She has attended the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) and has helped to provide end of life education to multi-disciplinary staff at our facility, as well as the community. She has seven years experience working on the Palliative Care Unit. Her education and experience coupled with her gift in providing calm and compassionate care allows her to provide a healing presence to many of our Veterans and their families. She is truly an exceptional nursing assistant.
Faith Andrulot, LPN, Harry S. Truman Veterans Hospital, Columbia, MO
Ms. Andrulot graduated from IVY Tech State Technical College, in Bloomington, IN in December 1993, with her practical nursing diploma. Immediately after graduation she worked at Bloomington Hospital. In August 1994, she began her career at Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital, in Columbia, MO. Her nursing experience includes medical surgical nursing (both at VA and in the private sector), the Community Living Center (including hospice care), Specialty Clinics, and most recently the Primary Care Clinics. She has participated on Root Cause analysis teams in an effort to improve patient safety. Currently she is a member of the LPN Standards Board and the Patient Aligned Care Team. She and her husband Greg are the parents of 3 children.
Linda Hudson, RN, BSN, VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS), Perry Point, MD
Ms. Hudson graduated from a three year nursing diploma program from Lankenau Nursing School in 1971 in Philadelphia, PA. She later completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 1991 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. Ms .Hudson began working within the Veterans Healthcare Administration System in 1992. She has maintained various staff nurse roles to include Long Term Care, Gastro Intestinal, Genital/Urology, Women's Health, Urgent Care, and Primary Care.
Ms. Hudson was detailed to the role of Acting Women’s Health Manager in December 2009 and remained in that role until September 2010. While Acting Women's Program Manager, Ms. Hudson played a key role in the development and expansion of the VAMHCS Women's Program at eight sites within Maryland. She worked to ensure that all women Veterans received timely, equitable, high quality, and comprehensive women's healthcare.
Christine Locke, DNP, CNS, CNOR, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR
Dr. Christine Locke currently serves as the Portland VA Medical Center co-Magnet Program Director. She played an instrumental role in the organizations’ December 2010 Magnet re-designation. The main focus of her work is improving the quality of care through evidence based practice. Dr. Locke works closely with nursing staff throughout the organization to help design, implement, and evaluate quality improvement projects. She serves on a variety of committees to include Patient Safety, Nursing Quality, and Glycemic Control.
Dr. Locke is the lead innovator on the Improving Inpatient Glycemic Control through Integrated Systems of Care which is funded through the Greenfield Initiative. The innovation is designed to develop a software package that supports all aspects of inpatient glucose control for use nationally. The software builds on a locally developed program that aggregates real-time patient data into a single display viewed at the point of care.
Dr. Locke is the co-founder of the Oregon Nursing Research and Quality Consortium (ONRQC) that formed in November 2009. The consortium is a community collaborative with the purpose of providing nurses with resources that promote quality and research. Dr. Locke serves as the VISN 20 Advanced Practice Nurse Liaison, the VA Nursing Outcomes Site Coordinator and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators site coordinator. She is also adjunct faculty at Oregon Health & Science University.
Mary Walters, RN, MS, APRN-BC, NEA-BC, Southern Arizona VA Health Care System
Ms. Mary Walters joined the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System (SAVAHCS) in July 1977. She has served in many leadership roles including the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, adjunct faculty at the University of Arizona, the Associate Chief Nurse for Education and the Associate Chief Nurse for Nursing Service. In November 1996 she became the Chief for the Rehabilitation and Transitional Care Line and in April 2000 she assumed the responsibilities of the Nurse Executive.
As the Nurse Executive, Ms. Walters’ duties include oversight of nursing practice across the facility where nursing is a leader in providing evidence-based nursing care to its Veterans. SAVAHCS is one of the first sites to establish the Clinical Nurse Leader role and has won three Office of Nursing Service Innovation Awards. Ms. Walters promotes nursing career development through educational opportunities and unique recruitment activities such as offering a Nurse Aid course and a critical care nursing course. Nursing research is another important focus for SAVAHCS.
Ms. Walters received her Bachelor’s degree in nursing from Georgetown University and her Master’s degree in nursing from the University of Arizona. She is certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Gerontological Nursing and as a Nurse Executive, Advanced.
Professional affiliations include the American Nurses Association, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Sigma Theta Tau, and Tucson Nurses Week Foundation. Ms. Walters holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the University Of Arizona College Of Nursing. She is the recipient of the 1999 Good Housekeeping Award for Women in Government and the 2008 Tucson Nurses Week Foundation Mentor award.
Michael Winn, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Little Rock, AR
Mr. Michael R. Winn was appointed Director of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System in Little Rock, Arkansas, effective November 26, 2006.
As the Medical Center Director, Mr. Winn has direct line responsibility and full accountability for managing all activities in a healthcare delivery system which includes a two-campus medical center with 280 operating hospital beds, a 152-bed Nursing Home Care Unit and a 119-bed Domiciliary. He sets policy for the overall budget of the medical center that totals more than $490,000,000 for FY10 with year-to-date FTE of 3,028, and authorizes allocation of funds based on shifting program needs.
Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Winn was the Director of the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was raised in Memphis, Tennessee. He received his BA in Business Administration from Memphis State and his MA in Health Services Management from Webster University.
