18 MercyOne nurses named 2024 Great Iowa Nurses

Clive, Iowa; January 15, 2024 – MercyOne proudly announces that 18 of our nurses from our owned and managed medical centers are among the 108 Iowa nurses recognized as 2024 Great Iowa Nurses.

• Anna Anderson, VanDiest Medical Center
• Lisa Andresen, Genesis Medical Center, Davenport
• Steven Barnhart, Genesis Medical Center, Davenport
• Kristen Ernsperger, MercyOne, Des Moines
• Jacquelyn Hart – Mercy One, Des Moines
• Maggie Kettwick – Mercy One, Des Moines
• Elizabeth Knief, MercyOne, Waterloo
• Kristen Loffswold, MercyOne, Siouxland
• Makayla Nims, MercyOne, Des Moines
• Christina Peterson, VanDiest Medical Center
• Andrea Queen, MercyOne, Siouxland
• Elizabeth Rogers – MercyOne, Bluebell Road Family Medicine, Cedar Falls
• Brenda K Rummel – Mercy One, Des Moines
• Bridget Saffold – MercyOne, Northeast Iowa
• Heather Scott, MercyOne, Des Moines
• Anna Schaub, MercyOne, Dubuque
• Charity Verbrugge, Palo Alto County Health System
• Carly Whitcomb, Genesis Medical Center, Davenport

“We are proud of all our honorees. Their hard work and dedication to our patients, colleagues and MercyOne’s Mission and Vision is exemplary. This recognition is important in validating our longstanding commitment to excellent personalized care in the communities we serve. We appreciate the Great Iowa Nurses for this recognition,” Kelly Richards, DNP, RN, Sr. VP Patient Care/Chief Nursing Officer, MercyOne.

The program, formerly 100 Great Iowa Nurses, annually honors Iowa nurses for their contributions to the nursing profession. A committee of individuals from various healthcare organizations across Iowa reviews nominations for the honor. Great Iowa Nurses are chosen based on demonstrated service to patients, leadership, and mentoring, or serving as a role model.
The Great Iowa Nurses program asks patients, co-workers, friends, and family members to nominate outstanding nurses for recognition each year. After a two-part review process, Great Iowa Nurses are honored at an annual ceremony.
In addition to recognizing outstanding nurses, the Great Iowa Nurses program provides financial support to nursing students in MSN, DNP, or Ph.D. programs.

A virtual ceremony will occur later this year to recognize the 2024 honorees.
100 Great Iowa Nurses was established in 2004 and hosted by the University of Iowa until 2020. In 2022, with the support of Mary Greeley Medical Center, the program was revived and renamed Great Iowa Nurses.