BCH Nurse Lynne McAtee-Harris Nominated for National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award

Boulder Community Health is proud to announce that Intensive Care Unit nurse Lynne McAtee-Harris, RN has been recognized for her extensive efforts to expand emotional support for patients and caregivers at BCH by being named a finalist for the 2017 National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year Award.

The honor is given annually by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a national leader in the movement to make compassion a vital element in every patient-caregiver interaction. According to the Schwartz Center, "these finalists represent healthcare professionals who make a profound difference through their unmatched dedication to compassionate, collaborative care."

McAtee-Harris has more than 25 years’ experience caring for seriously ill patients and has seen firsthand the importance of effective communication, emotional support and mutual respect in health care. Her boundless enthusiasm and personal commitment to making compassion a priority at BCH has fostered greater resiliency among caregivers, which makes them better equipped to provide the highest quality care to patients and families.

Among her many accomplishments, McAtee-Harris spearheaded development of BCH’s popular, annual Compassionate Care Symposium, which provides an in-depth focus on issues such as mindfulness, patient-centered communications, kindness and diversity. McAtee-Harris also was instrumental in creating a shadowing program designed to expand empathy among caregivers and other employees across the BCH system.

BCH President and CEO Dr. Robert Vissers commented, "Boulder Community Health is extremely fortunate to benefit from Lynne’s exceptional commitment to providing our patients the best possible care. This prestigious NCCY award nomination recognizes her tireless dedication to ensuring caregivers’ well-being and the impact she has had on the many, many patients and families she’s touched over the course of her career. Not only has her passion had a pronounced impact on individual patients and staff, she has been instrumental in incorporating an empathetic mindset into the culture of our organization. She is undoubtedly a role model for compassionate care and a vitally important part of our caregiving team."

The other finalists represent organizations from across the country, including the Cleveland Clinic, Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and the University of Virginia Health System. Award finalists are chosen by a national review committee, which includes past award recipients, in collaboration with representatives from the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

The award recipient will be announced on Nov. 16, 2017 at the 22nd Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner in Boston. More than 1,800 healthcare leaders, caregivers and patients are expected to attend this event to recognize the critical role of healthcare professionals and the exceptional work of the award nominees who epitomize compassionate care.

Congratulations, Lynne!

^{More information about the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare and the award is available at www.theschwartzcenter.org.}