July 22, 2013

Sr. Phyllis Kemper (left) accepts the Nursing Excellence-Clinical Practice Award from Francie Wolgin, Senior Program Officer for The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati.

InterAct for Change has honored Sr. Phyllis Kemper, RN, OSU, Parish Nurse with the TriHealth Parish Nursing Program, with the 2013 Nursing Excellence-Clinical Practice Award.

The InterAct for Change board created the Nursing Excellence Award to honor individuals who demonstrate outstand contributions to nursing in Ohio, Kentucky or Indiana. The award was first presented in 2008.

From 1999 to the present, Sr. Phyllis has worked as a Parish Nurse through the Tri-Health Parish Nursing Program, serving the medically underserved in the downtown and Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods of Cincinnati, as well as at St. Francis Seraph Parish.

As a Parish Nurse, she visits clients in their homes, in the hospital, or in nursing facilities. She performs health screenings, provides health education, leads support groups, provides wellness and prevention information, and connects people with medical and social service agencies, as well as finding ways to address their non-medical needs.

"At a class reunion several years ago, her classmates honored her by establishing a Florence Nightingale Fund for her to use in serving client's needs that cannot be addressed through existing systems; they continue to fund it annually, and its supporters have increased," says Francie Wolgin, Senior Program Officer for The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, a sister organization of InterAct for Change.

Her nominator said, "It takes remarkable creativity to assist people who have no resources and to empower them to maneuver through a confusing health care system. Sr. Phyllis is fully grounded in what are realistic choices for very low income individuals, as she moves people toward healthier practices. She bridges the spectrum from medical and nursing care to wellness and healthy lifestyles."

Another letter of support said, "She genuinely cares about the people with whom she works. She doesn't simply screen for health issues; she tries to understand the entire picture … I can't begin to tell you the number of people who have said she 'saved their lives.'"

Information about InterAct for Change is available at InterActforChange.org.