A.O. Fox Hospital Recognizes Examples of Nursing Excellence

This May, A.O. Fox Hospital proudly presented its 2022 Nursing Excellence Awards to Michelle Lare, LPN, John Himmelein, RN, and Margaret Wikoff, RN. In addition to a certificate and monetary award, the three recipients will have their names added to Fox Nursing Excellence plaques at their work location.

Lare, Himmelein, and Wikoff were nominated for this honor by a combination of peers, patients, and providers. Recipients are selected for exemplifying compassion, empathy, diligence, and patience while providing high-quality patient care. They also demonstrate a willingness to help and respect both patients and coworkers.

Here is what nominators had to say about the three recipients.

Michelle Lare, LPN at A.O. Fox Hospital won the Barbara Strickland, LPN Nurse of Excellence Award.

Michelle comes to work with a positive attitude and goes above and beyond in the care she provides to our patients. Her peers say they would be happy to have Michelle care for their loved ones. Michelle has put in a lot of time caring for Fox patients during COVID-19 and the nursing shortage challenges since. She is a team player and can be depended on to give 110 percent every day.

John Himmelein, RN at A.O. Fox's Tri-Town Campus in the Emergency Department, won the Mary Helland, RN Nurse of Excellence Award.

John is the heart and soul of Fox's Tri-Town Campus. The last couple of years have been difficult, and through that time John has been integral in ensuring that Tri-Town could meet the demands of the pandemic for his community. He helped with all aspects of preparing the campus for COVID-19 and then worked endlessly through the months since. Always smiling, John is trusted by his team and loved by his community.

Margaret Wikoff, RN at Fox Nursing Home, won the Lisa Hunter, RN Nurse of Excellence Award.

Margaret has worked in many roles in her over 30 years at Fox Hospital. She identifies her current position as an RN at Fox Nursing Home as one of the most rewarding. Margaret is kind, caring, and compassionate, truly placing the needs of Fox's residents above all. She works all shifts to help support her team and is beloved by her residents. Margaret received over nine nominations for this award — which is a true testament to her values and merit. She is an inspiration to everyone she knows.

"These three nurses contribute so much to everyone around them," says Joan MacDonald, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services at A.O. Fox Hospital.

"They are amazing caregivers to their patients and partners to their coworkers. Fox Nursing Home, Tri-Town, and Fox Hospital are all better because they are part of them. I'm so thankful for their place in our caregiver community."

Emergency Department Care & Compassion Award

In addition to the Nursing Excellence awards, the hospital presented a special award to the Fox Emergency Department. Received on behalf of the ED by Karen Patterson, nurse manager of AO Fox and Tri-Town emergency departments, the award recognized the care and compassion that ED staff have all provided through COVID-19 and some very challenging patient issues.