Helen Krieger Outstanding Healthcare Provider Award

About the Award: This award recognizes a health care provider who has made a significant contribution to the lives of students and families by providing excellence in healthcare and healthcare education.

Amount Awarded: $1,000

Nomination By: Parent & Lauryl McClintick, Principal 

Describe how this person has made a significant contribution to the lives of students
and families by meeting healthcare needs or positively impacting healthcare education
in his or her school, the entire school system, or the community at large.

I am nominating Gretchen Batt, of Kahoa Elementary for this award. Imagine starting off the school year being on maternity leave, as a teacher, while having a newborn at home and then sending your 5 year old off to kindergarten. Your phone rings in between trying to get caught up on sleep, keeping up with the housework, and you get a phone call that reads "Kahoa Elementary School". Your heart immediately drops and possibly even goes to the worst case scenario (thanks hormones). Thankfully, Gretchen was on the other side just letting me know that it was a bump on the head and that she will check on my child later. A few more calls while on maternity leave of more head bumps came and went, and Gretchen was sure to let me know that she would always check on my daughter each time.

Fast forward a few weeks to being back to work as a teacher with all of your annual leave exhausted and the bell for the day is about to ring and "Kahoa Elementary" pops up on your phone's caller ID. In my head I said "Whattttt?" but that thought bubble actually popped as I had already hit answer and that word was actually said to the soul listening on the other side. Thankfully it was Gretchen, and with a laugh she already knew how I was feeling. We were able to laugh this off and she let me know that my daughter had some throw-up like spit, but really did not think she needed to be sent home (THANK GOODNESS), as she was running when it happened. How Gretchen and I were able to laugh past this situation just shows you the person Gretchen is: personable, kind, and funny. Hannah, my daughter, has taken a liking to Gretchen and Gretchen has become a friend.

My daughter was on Check In-Check Out in kindergarten and 1st grade, and Gretchen was the person Hannah met with in the morning and afternoon each day. She would come home with stickers talking all about Gretchen. The first few days of the 1st grade school year, Hannah had fallen at the before school program, and Gretchen had called to let me know that she thought Hannah had just fallen wrong but would check in on her later in the afternoon. Again, I got a call with "Kahoa Elementary" later that afternoon from Gretchen letting me know that Hannah still seemed to be favoring her arm, but still didn't fully know if it was a break, but we decided that Hannah should be taken in. Guess who wanted to know how the appointment went? Gretchen. Guess who got a lovely FaceTime call with Hannah in
her cast? Gretchen. At this point it seemed like instead of Gretchen reaching out to me about the head bumps, I was relying on her and reaching out to her, and it went beyond the bumps and bruises.

When Hannah came home last year, saying she hated school I knew I could reach out to Gretchen to see if she could get more information out of Hannah as the reasoning. She did the same thing for me this year when Hannah said she really didn't have any friends. When my son was in the hospital for many days with RSV in 2022, my emotions were high and patience was thin with my daughter's lack of urgency to get ready for the school day, I knew I could reach out to Gretchen to give Hannah some extra love.

I feel that the time she has spent with my daughter at school has impacted my daughter in the best of ways. I know we don't want our students to be missing from the classroom for a long time if their trip to the health office should be rather quick, but Gretchen has been the person that Hannah can go to and share any feeling of hers without fear. Gretchen is Hannah's person at school and every student needs a person at school who they can rely on and trust.

Gretchen goes above and beyond her job duties as a school nurse. She cares for her students and wants to be there to support them. Gretchen has even supported Hannah at many soccer games, as well as supporting my summer sanity by taking Hannah out for fun at Pioneers park and the Children's Museum.

You do not have to go the extra mile on your time off of work to be an amazing healthcare provider, but you do have to show up for the students when they are in your care at school and make them feel heard and seen. I trust Gretchen, Hannah trusts her, and I know she loves the students she takes care of daily. Whenever is sick, I know a text message from Gretchen will be on my phone at some point checking in to see how Hannah is doing.

I know I have written a lot of words, and I know there are many great health care providers in Lincoln Public Schools, but the words I feel that Gretchen deserves the most are: Thank you. Thank you for loving my child like I do.

Describe how this person has made a significant contribution to the lives of students
and families by meeting healthcare needs or positively impacting healthcare education
in his or her school, the entire school system, or the community at large.

Gretchen goes above and beyond for our students at Kahoa each and every day. At the start of each school year, Gretchen presents to the entire staff on the systems in place at our building that keep students in the classroom as much as possible. She develops kits for each classroom with individually labeled items to keep materials clear and easy to use in the case of a medical situation in class. Gretchen has made an extra effort this year with her own funds
to make the health office calming and welcoming for all students. Her room is the epitome of "my door is always open". Often when walking by her room, a student is not only being cared for, but is also learning how to be more independent in their own healthcare. This includes requiring the the student to list the name, dose, shape, and color of any of the prescription medicines they are taking prior to her offering it to them. Gretchen is a proponent for students problem solving issues and learning about how to properly care for themselves. Even when presenting to 4th and 5th graders about puberty, Gretchen creates an atmosphere in which students feel comfortable to ask difficult questions. Gretchen is a light at Kahoa and deserves recognition for her efforts she makes for the staff and students in our
building each and every day.