Here are This Week's 'Healthcare Heroes' on KHAK -- Week of 5/11

We've teamed up with Billion Honda of Iowa City to honor some more wonderful healthcare workers this week!

In the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers are on the front lines. Their knowledge, dedication, kindness, and selflessness in the midst of all this chaos have 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:

5/11
- Emily Stahl
- BSN/RN in the ICU at Unity Point St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids
- Nominated anonymously
- "Emily has been working tirelessly with the sickest patients since the very beginning of this pandemic, as Linn County was and is one of the hardest-hit areas for the virus. She is the definition of a frontline hero, taking this on without batting an eye. Every day she suits up and takes the risks so that others don’t have to. Not only does she help people at work, but in her time off she has gathered up care packages for area nursing homes and has also helped deliver meals to first responders. She never asks for credit or demands thanks, but I feel more than ever that’s it’s these types of behind the scenes heroes that need to be recognized for doing the things the rest of us are not able or willing to do."
5/12
- Callie Sternhagen
- RN for Healthcare of Iowa in Cedar Rapids
- Nominated anonymously
- "Callie is deserving of this because she is willing to put anyone in front of herself. While battling cancer, she still went to work every day. Might have only been a few hours, but she was there. She loves the elderly and said that her residents are the ones that help her remain positive through their cancer battle. Throughout this COVID-19 craziness, she continues to teach the CNA 72-hour class and has been helping out at the Monticello Nursing Home after she is done with her teaching job. Callie is one of a kind and knows how to put a smile on anyone’s face."
5/13
- Cindy Skersick
- LPN at Meth-Wick Manor in Cedar Rapids
- Nominated by Angela Skersick
- "Cindy always gives 100% to all her patients and will work double shifts when needed to make sure each and every person has what they need and are cared for. She is loved by all her patients and she has a caring heart and soul. Her job does not stop there! She also takes care of her live-in elderly mother, as well."
5/14
- Michelle Mahoney
- Pharmacy tech at Jones County Regional
- Nominated by her husband Jason
- "Michelle puts in a full day every day with a smile and a positive attitude to help everyone. I am in agriculture and am putting a lot of hours in at the moment. We have two kids, and she took it upon herself to find a daycare that stayed open, as ours closed because of the pandemic. Michelle takes every day in stride, always putting herself last. She’s a wonderful mother, tech, and wife that tries to satisfy everyone but herself."
5/15
- Sheri Henningsen Burke
- Nominated anonymously
- "Sheri works at the Monticello Nursing Home, sometimes putting in 12 hour days and sometimes working double shifts back to back. If someone needs to take time off or switch hours with someone, Sheri is the first to step up and fill in. Her days off are few, but because her residents are precious to her, she recently took the time to load up her horse, Mesa, bring her to the nursing home, and patiently go from window to window so the residents could feed and pet Mesa. The smiles on everyone's faces made it all worth it, Sheri said. The residents will remember and talk about this for a long time."