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| Serving Muskegon, Ottawa, Oceana &
Newaygo Counties |
888 Terrace Street
Muskegon, MI 49440-1129
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Phone (231) 726-5025
Toll Free 1-800-499-5025
Fax (231) 728-4958
TDD 1-800-649-3777
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24 Hour Service
7 Days A Week
A nurse is on call after office hours and can be reached by
calling
1-231-726-5025 or
1-800-499-5025
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When Scottville native Amy Purple graduated from nursing school in 1983, her career goal was to work in obstetrics or surgery. That never happened. Instead, she blazed an entirely different trail on the way to becoming Hospice Director at HVNS and Hospice, Inc., and now the recipient of a prestigious national nursing award.
 On April 8 Amy’s skill, dedication,and career achievements were recognized by home health care Professionals
throughout the country when she was
named “Administrative Manager of the
Year,” by the Visiting Nurse Association of America (VNAA) at its national conference in Orlando, Florida.
The VNAA was created to support and differentiate nonprofit community visiting nurse agencies from other home health companies. In a letter announcing Amy’s award, the VNAA wrote, “This year’s field of candidates was outstanding;… Amy Purple has distinguished herself in her commitment to VNAA, your VNA, and your community.”
Amy’s first job after college was in Hackley Hospital’s psychiatric department. There she became a pioneer in the specialty of gero-psychiatric nursing, which focuses on the particular mental health issues of older patients. A quick learner and a natural leader, Amy became a staff educator; and in 1993 she collaborated with the VNS to establish |
the first psychiatric home care program in the community.
In 1996 Amy joined the staff of HVNS as a nursing supervisor. Her talents as a leader and her gero-psychiatric nursing knowledge made her a natural to become the first Hospice Director in 1999.
“It made so much sense for us as an agency to go in that direction,” she says of the addition of hospice services. “Some of our home care patients are with us for years. When they require hospice care, they have the opportunity to have familiar caregivers.”
Amy studied best practices, wrote the procedures, and trained the entire nursing staff. She guided the agency through the rigorous steps toward accreditation and licensing, and stepped up once again when the Board of Directors decided to open a hospice residence.
HVNS and Hospice President Nancy McCarthy, who nominated Amy for this prestigious award, says, “Amy has done a fabulous job of program start-up, program expansion and ongoing quality monitoring. She exemplifies what a visionary leader can accomplish with a passionate desire and a committed and dedicated work ethic.”
Hackley Health Systems has also recognized Purple’s leadership qualities,
according her an Academy Fellowship, a two-year leadership development program, headquartered in Washington, D.C. |
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