Community Health System recognizes the outstanding contributions of its RN of the Year honorees. Their leadership has helped to advance the nursing profession through mentorship and innovative ideas to improve patient care.
RN of the Year honorees
Excellence in Clinical Practice — LeeAnn Cunningham, R.N.Team coordinator, Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic, Community Regional Medical Center
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in clinical nursing.
Lee Ann takes the clinical experience to a whole new level for patients and their families in the outpatient clinic setting. Her 30 years of extensive nursing experience includes 20 years in Community Regional Medical Center’s oral and maxillofacial surgery department.
Over the last year, LeeAnn has planned and implemented multiple projects focusing on the patient and family experience, to expedite care and enhance patient safety, including a conscious sedation program.
Innovations in Professional Nursing — Nou Heu, R.N. Employee Health Services, Community Health System
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate innovations in delivery of patient care.
Nou began her healthcare career more than 20 years ago as a licensed vocational nurse and has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the nursing profession. As an R.N. on the Employee Health Services team at Community Health System, Nou has helped lead efforts to use innovative technology to improve quality metrics, on-the-job efficiencies and the healthcare worker’s patient experience by including employee health records in MyChart.
She was instrumental in the integration and adoption of electronic medical record technology, which allowed for improvements in safety, compliance and costs to the organization as CHS managed over 10,000 employee health records.
Excellence in Leadership — Susan Thorn, R.N. Director of Employee Health Services, Community Health System
This award is given to recognize, document and communicate best practices in administration.
Susan’s exceptional nursing leadership has touched over 10,000 caregivers’ and supported employees’ lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her steadfast vision of creating an environment of honest, compassionate and comprehensive communication during challenging times has been a guiding light in the face of the unknown. Day or night, she can be counted on to be on the other side of a text or call when the workforce is in need.
Her leadership has kept our workforce strong, resilient and caring for the community’s healthcare needs. Susan led several projects related to increasing efficiency by reducing response times within Employee Health Services (EHS) from several days to within 24 hours.
