McLeod Regional Medical Center is pleased to announce the 2021 Nurse of the Year Award recipients: Patty Reis, CRNA; Lizzie Kirby, RN; and Adrian Eleby, Medical Surgical Technician. The winners were recognized during a special ceremony and McLeod celebration in conjunction with National Nurses Week.

“Being selected as a Nurse of the Year is a very honorable recognition,” said Tony Derrick, Chief Nursing Officer for McLeod Regional Medical Center. “We appreciate our nurses every day, but Nurses Week is a time we honor our nurses for providing quality care to our patients. The Mission of McLeod Health is to improve the overall health and well-being of the people living within South Carolina and eastern North Carolina by providing excellence in health care, and our nurses are an instrumental part of that goal.”

Patty Reis, Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year, is a Nurse Anesthetist with McLeod Regional Medical Center.

“2020 was a year that defined Patty as a caring and compassionate individual,” says Rocky Cagle, Nursing Director for Anesthesia. “Patty willingly placed herself on the COVID intubation team to protect her co-workers and volunteered tirelessly for uncovered shifts, even working at McLeod Health Dillon to fulfill staffing needs. Patty has a great working relationship with all departments, including OR staff, environmental services, support techs and nursing staff outside of the operating room. Patty also experienced many personal difficulties, but she never wavered in her positive attitude and dedication to patients.”

Lizzie Kirby, RN, Registered Nurse of the Year, works in the Trauma Surgical Care Unit (TSCU).

“A nurse must be able to access their inner qualities to adapt to what patients need for their healing process, and Lizzie has mastered this skill at an early level in her nursing career thus allowing her to excel with patients and co-workers,” says Patricia Taylor, Nursing Director for TSCU. “The times when we cry at the bedside while someone takes their last breathe with no family present; when we sit quietly with a parent who receives life-altering news about their child; the moment when a patient takes two steps for the first time since their car accident; the teamwork demonstrated when a patient rolls through the doors on the verge of coding – these can be very defining moments in a nurse’s career. Lizzie has experienced them all during her four short years. Whether in the trenches of a battlefield or in the winner’s circle, I am proud to know that Lizzie will be there right beside me.”

Adrian Eleby, Nursing Technician of the Year, is a Medical Surgical Technician (MST) on the Medical Floor.

“Adrian is the very definition of an ideal team player and the living, breathing personification of the McLeod Health core values,” says Charity Gerald, Nursing Director for 8 Medical. “Adrian exhibits compassion to everyone he encounters. He constantly checks on his patients and provides them with what they need and also anticipates needs they didn’t know they would have. There have been several patients who have notified management upon discharge how much they appreciated him. He has received letters mailed back to the floor to thank him for the care he provided. One letter called him friendly, warm and a breath of fresh air. We have had patients request to take him home with them. They always remember his name. One of his peers said, ‘He is one of the best people I know here at McLeod. He deserves all the recognition he can get. We need more Adrians.’”

“A McLeod Nurse does not do what they do for the recognition; they do it for the patients,” said Derrick. “Every day, I am in awe of what our Nurses can accomplish. Our outcomes prove what excellent care our patients receive. As the Chief Nursing Officer, I am so impressed with their quality work and daily dedication. I believe we have some of the best nurses in the world here at McLeod.”

About McLeod Health
Founded in 1906, McLeod Health is a locally owned and managed, not for profit organization supported by the strength of approximately 850 members on its medical staff and more than 2,700 licensed nurses (Registered Nurses; Advanced Practice Nurses – including Certified Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Practitioners and Certified Nurse Midwives; as well as Licensed Practical Nurses). McLeod Health is also composed of approximately 8,900 employees and more than 90 physician practices throughout its 18-county service area. With seven hospitals, McLeod Health operates three Health and Fitness Centers, a Sports Medicine and Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, Hospice and Home Health Services. The hospitals within McLeod Health include McLeod Regional Medical Center, McLeod Health Dillon, McLeod Health Loris, McLeod Health Seacoast, McLeod Health Cheraw, McLeod Health Clarendon and McLeod Behavioral Health.