Charissa Barber, RN, BSN, CEN, selflessly gave of her time and energy to an injured officer and his family whom she had never met.

It makes me proud to be a UMC employee then we have nurses like Charissa Barber working for our organization. I have the pleasure of working with her on a regular basis as we transport sick and injured citizens to UMC for medical care. Charissa is your typical nurse as she demonstrates heart felt care and compassion to patients on a daily basis without asking for anything in return. Mrs. Barber is a great leader and Charge Nurse in the EC. She leads her team by example and is always willing to do whatever it takes to help in any situation to make things better for everyone. Charissa has taken her caring compassionate heart to a whole degree.

On Thursday Mrs. Barber organized a benefit fund raiser in the UMC parking lot for Lubbock Police Department Officer Varner. Officer Varner's life was changed when he was shot 3 times. Charissa had never met Officer Varner until the day of the benefit, but she took the initiative and did all the leg work to make this benefit a huge success. She took time out of her days off to make all this happen. This benefit raised almost $6500 for the Varner family to help with lost wages while he is recovering. This money will help Officer Varner's family through the holiday season and make his recovery a little less stressful. I know the UMC organization has many staff just like Charissa Barber but I want UMC to know just how special Charissa truly is! She has truly touched the hearts of a family, police department and 911 community. Thank you, Charissa Barber, for making the world a better place!

This is just one example of how Charissa goes above and beyond for her patients and Lubbock Community every day. She is an excellent role model for "Service is our Passion". Thank you Charissa for living each day with compassion!