Kristy D Simank, RN

My Dad was admitted to the ICU (and still remains in ICU) at the VA in OKC due to bacterial pneumonia, among many other health complications. During this time, we have had the privilege and honor of having the most attentive, thoughtful, and intelligent nurse I have ever met. As a Registered Nurse who works in Emergency, I was astonished by how above and beyond Kristy has gone to ensure my dad and the entire family have received the best care, remained informed on his progression, and educated on evidence-based best practices. Examples of how she has demonstrated this include advocating for chest physiotherapy, advocating for sleep aids for my dad who suffers from insomnia, providing frequent and thorough oral care while intubated, ensuring he is repositioned q2h to prevent skin breakdown, organizing ultrasound guided IV insertion due to history of difficult iv starts from chemotherapy, ensuring my dad is informed of his most recent lab values as per his request, providing thorough peri care while catheterized, advocating for my dad to receive a meal tray after extubating, and most importantly, spending time with him and our family to provide reassurance, education, and much-needed laughter during such a stressful and emotional time. I cannot stress how much we have appreciated her as both a professional and a human being. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you, Kristy. You have truly been a blessing to us. You deserve this award and much, much more!