High Points of the Valley (Graphic Illustration)

* During last week’s celebration of National Nurses Week, WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center honored its nursing and clinical teams. “We also celebrate the influences nurses have on the healthcare industry,” said Camden Clark President and CEO Sean Smith. “You are so impactful and so influential. You are not only caregivers but you are policymakers, educators and you mean so much to the point where if you took nursing away, health care would collapse.” Those honored included: Registered Nurse of the Year Chelsea Mathews of the Cath Lab; Registered Nurse Rookie of the Year Lacey McCoullough of 4 North; Patient Care Technician of the Year Melinda Burgess of the CVU; Licensed Practical Nurse of the Year Shynel Kehle of 3 North; Clinic Licensed Practical Nurse of the Year Caitlin Shears of Internal Medicine Southgate; Certified Medical Assistant of the Year Brittney Boley of Endocrinology and Clinic RN of the Year Kathleen Parsons of Occupational Health. “Nursing is truly more than a profession, it is a calling,” said Chief Nursing Officer Carol Grove. Patients throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley are certainly grateful to this bunch — and all nurses — answered the call.

* The former Worthington Elementary School is entering a new phase as it has become The Heart of Worthington — a place where the Children’s Home Society can do even more for our young people. West Virginia Children’s Home Society CEO Mary White called the open house last week a “monumental historical day,” as the ceremony was the culmination of years of work. “We knew we needed someplace for growth so we could take care of more children and more families,” she said. While the facility has been open since November 2024, work continues. Fundraising is now under way for renovation of the gym. No doubt the community will continue to support those efforts. But in the meantime, the Children’s Home Society is well positioned to expand the excellent work it does. “Our mission is to promote the well-being of children,” said Director of Programming Denise Hughes. “We work with families to keep families together, work on problems that might work against the families and more.” Congratulations on cutting the ribbon for this new space from which to make that happen.