Brain & Courtlin's 'Healthcare Heroes' -- Week of 4/13

We just completed our fourth week of honoring healthcare workers here in Eastern Iowa!

In the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers are on the front lines. In fact, we found out this week that 22 to 23% of the positive coronavirus cases in Iowa are folks in the healthcare field. Their knowledge, dedication, kindness, and selflessness in the midst of all this chaos has not gone unnoticed. That's why we kicked off a new segment called the 'Healthcare Hero of the Day' a few weeks ago.

Each weekday around 6:45 a.m. we honor one of the many amazing healthcare workers here in eastern Iowa, post the honoree on the 98.1 KHAK Facebook page, and mention them on the air throughout the day. It's just one small way we can support and recognize all their hard work.

Here are this week's honorees:

4/13 - Kendallyn Recker, ICU nurse at Mercy Hospital Cedar Rapids
- "She attends the University of Iowa Nursing Grad School and works full time. She is always giving 100 percent to her patients in the ICU and now on the 8th and 9th floor COVID-19 area of Mercy. She has always given 100 percent to each and every person she has cared for. She has an upbeat personality and now she is really taking care to be social distancing so she continues to help fight this invisible war going on in the healthcare field!"
- Nominated by Pam Westemeier
4/14 - Megan Sasina, nurse at Anamosa Family Practice
- "Mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, NURSE! Megan works at Anamosa Family Practice. While being a nurse, she also juggles her two kids and one on the way. It is no question that you have a challenging, tiring, and thankless job, but despite all that, you still push through and do the best you can for your family and patients. You go the extra mile every day for anyone you come in contact with while putting your life and the life you're creating in harm's way. I want to thank you for all that you do, for always being there to provide guidance and care. Thank you for caring and nursing us through, especially at this time. I am honored to have gotten the opportunity to learn from Megan and look to her as a role model for how I want to treat people in a time of need. I cannot think of another person who is more deserving of a Healthcare Hero of the Day award, because, simply put, Megan is an extraordinary nurse. I love you Mego, be safe and keep being the best nurse that you are!"
- Nominated anonymously
4/15 - Amy Gates, nurse at Oelwein Health Care
- "I would like to nominate my amazing wife Amy Gates. Since the virus hit, she had been going into work early and picking up the weekends. Amy goes above and beyond because she truly cares about the residents at their facility. Our 15-year-old daughter Kiley also works there. She has seen her mom’s dedication and has stepped up to the plate by working extra hours to play games with residents who have been confined to their rooms. I’m so proud of both of them. They are not only essential to their workplace, but they are also essential to me!!! Despite Amy working a long day on her birthday Friday, dealing with death in the family on Saturday, and a tornado hitting the town, she still did her job. She is running on pure heart. I thank all healthcare workers, especially my wife. We couldn’t do this without them!!!"
- Nominated by her husband Andrew Gates
4/16 - Rosalin Moberg, nurse at Premier Estates of Toledo
- "Rosalin is a nurse at Premier Estates of Toledo, which is a long-term care facility that has been hit quite hard with COVID-19. She is a dedicated and caring nurse that comes to work every day and treats the residents with dignity and respect. She is patient and pays close attention to detail. Lynn is the kind of nurse that you would want to take care of your loved one if you were not able to be there for them!"
- Nominated by Kate Schulte
4/17 - Katie Steele, nurse at the University of Iowa Hospital
- "When they asked for volunteers, she was one of the first to step forward, even though she has a husband and four little kids at home. She is working overnights and weekends and is working in the unit with the sickest of the sick. Despite all this, she still treats each patient with care and compassion, no matter what the prognosis. Just one of the many special humans we are lucky enough to have!"
- Nominated anonymously