Lori Crane, a nurse with Genesis Health System, is among the 78 nurses recognized as 2023 Great Iowa Nurses, the Davenport-based hospital announced.
The program, formerly 100 Great Iowa Nurses, annually honors Iowa nurses for their contributions to the nursing profession.
Ms. Crane, RN, is the Genesis Health System patient safety officer. Ms. Crane, 56, now of Bettendorf, was raised in Coal Valley and graduated from Moline High School and United Medical Center School of Nursing. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the College of St. Francis.
“I started at Mercy Hospital, in Davenport, in 1988, while in nurses training, as a nurse extender on the Behavioral Health unit,” she said. “After I finished my Mental Health and Substance Abuse nursing rotation, I knew that it was my calling.”
Great Iowa Nurses are chosen based on demonstrated service to patients, leadership, and mentoring or serving as a role model. The program each year asks patients, co-workers, friends, and family members to nominate outstanding nurses for recognition.
A committee of individuals representing healthcare organizations across Iowa reviews nominations for the honor. After undergoing a two-part review process, Great Iowa Nurses are honored at an annual ceremony.
Ms. Crane and the other 2023 honorees will receive their honor during a virtual ceremony later this year.
“Genesis continues to be grateful to our nurses, who have been asked for so much personally and professionally over the past few years,” Joel M. Moore, MSN, RN, CNML, chief nursing officer, Genesis Medical Center-Davenport, said in a news release. “This honor is an opportunity to recognize all Iowa nurses.”
Since the program’s inception in 2004, a total of 131 Genesis nurses have been named Great Iowa Nurses.
In addition to its annual awards, Great Iowa Nurses provides financial support to nursing students in MSN, DNP, or Ph.D. programs.
The 100 Great Iowa Nurses program was established in 2004 and hosted by the University of Iowa until 2020. In 2022, with the support of Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, the program was revived and renamed Great Iowa Nurses.
