Columbia Memorial Hopsital's Vice President of Patient Care Services Trece Gurrad, left, presented the March of Dimes 2016 Small Hospital Nurse of the Year Award to Kendra Gohl at an award ceremony in Portland last week.

For the second year in a row, a nurse from Columbia Memorial Hospital has been honored with a Nurse of the Year Award by the March of Dimes.

Nurse and certified infection preventionist Kendra Gohl was named the 2016 Small Hospital Nurse of the Year in Oregon and Southwest Washington by the March of Dimes during an award ceremony in Portland Nov. 18. In 2015, Laura Brown was named Nurse of the Year for Women’s Health.

“We are truly blessed to have Kendra as part of our CMH family,” said Trece Gurrad, the hospital’s vice president of patient care services. “Her work in infection prevention has helped CMH attain and consistently maintain the goal of zero healthcare acquired infections, which is a remarkable achievement in any size organization.”

Gohl has worked at the hospital for 24 years. In addition to overseeing CMH’s highly effective infection prevention program, Gohl is the manager of the hospital’s Care Management Department. This department connects patients and their families with resources in the community and the hospital that can help them after they leave the hospital. Her team has reduced patient readmission rates from 16 percent in 2013 to 6 percent in 2016.

During her career at Columbia Memorial, she has overseen staff development, created the community education program and established the Health Occupations class for area high school students — several of whom now work at the hospital.

CMH’s other Nurse of the Year finalists were Kelsey Betts, Casseopia Fisher, Jenny Jacques, Amy Karsten, Shannon Lackey, Jamee Meier, Jay Reynolds, Brooke Roberts, Mariah Rudolfi, Maria Shipley and Brandy Spencer.

CMH’s podiatric surgeon Dr. Michael Murdock and housekeeper Cindy Dalmazzo were also recognized earlier this month at the annual Planetree Conference in Chicago.

Murdock and Dalmazzo were awarded Spirit of Planetree Awards for personalizing, humanizing and demystifying the health care experience for others.

The hospital’s CEO Erik Thorsen, Board of Trustees President Heather Seppa and Board member Constance Waisanen also represented the hospital as it was redesignated as a Planetree-Designated® Patient-Centered Hospital for another three years.

Planetree Designated hospitals are recognized for their excellence partnering with patients and families to promote the patient’s comfort, dignity, empowerment and well being.