Frye Regional Medical Center makes donation to Alzheimer’s Association in name of Cassaundra Hefner to celebrate National Nurses Week and National Hospital & Healthcare Week

Hickory, NC – May 20, 2005 – As a part of the National Nurses Week and National Hospital and Healthcare Week celebration, held May 6 through May 14, Frye Regional Medical Center and the Tenet Healthcare Foundation have honored an outstanding employee by donating $500 to a charity of the employee’s choice.  This year’s recognition goes to Cassaundra Hefner, RN, Director of Nursing for the Rehab and Restorative Care Units at Frye.

“With so many extraordinary employees at Frye Regional Medical Center, choosing an outstanding employee to honor is never easy,” said Craig Hume, Frye’s Chief Operating Officer.  “Everyday each nurse and staff member makes a difference in a patient’s life.  They continually demonstrate The Art of Caring.”

“This year we selected Cassaundra Hefner as our outstanding health care worker because of her relentless dedication to her patients, her staff and her colleagues,” Hume said during the award presentation on Wednesday, May 11. “We are proud to have Cassaundra on the Frye team.” 

Hefner has served as a Director of Nursing at Frye since July 2004. Prior to that, she was the assistant nurse manager on Frye’s 2nd floor surgical unit. Hefner began her career at Frye as a Nursing Assistant in 1997. She then graduated in 1998 with a nursing degree. Hefner currently serves on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Nurses Association.

“Cassaundra is truly representative of the entire staff at Frye, who work hard to give patients the best quality of care every day of the year,” said Frye President and CEO Denny Bruns. “These two weeks of celebration and thanks should truly go on throughout the entire year.”

As part of the celebration of National Nurses Week and National Hospital and Healthcare Week, the Tenet Healthcare Foundation will distribute approximately $34,000 in donations on behalf of employees at Tenet hospitals.

National Nurses Week was first recognized by President Eisenhower and celebrated in 1954.  It was later moved to take place in early May to coincide with the anniversary of the birthday of Florence Nightingale, an icon of the nursing profession.

Nurses and hospital workers are kind, caring and dedicated people. Everyday, they answer the call to help patients in need. Whether it’s through a simple act of kindness or handling an emergency, health care workers know that every moment counts. They work hard to hone their skills, while understanding it takes more than just medicine to treat their patients. Being a health care worker means perfecting The Art of Caring.

Frye Regional Medical Center, part of Tenet North Carolina, is a 355-bed acute care facility located at 420 North Center Street in Hickory, NC.  The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Catawba County since 1911.  The hospital’s main campus includes a comprehensive heart center and cardiac rehab, orthopedics, bariatric surgery, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, pediatrics, center for neurosciences, cancer center and women’s pavilion.  Frye has several extended campuses to serve families throughout the area including: Frye Center For Wellness and Education which houses the Center For Diabetes Self-Management Care, perinatal education and community wellness classes; South Campus for psychiatric services; Viewmont and Tate Surgery Centers; Vein and Wound Center/Infusion Care; Pain Center; Piedmont Therapy, offering sports and industrial rehabilitation; an urgent care facility; FryeCare, an outpatient diagnostic facility; Alexander Campus, which provides 24 hour emergency care along with diagnostic and laboratory services and infusion care; plus HealthPoint, which provides extensive industrial services and programs to employers.

Frye Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.  To learn more about the hospital, visit www.fryemedctr.com.