Jamestown Regional Medical Center (JRMC) recently announced Renae Lunde as its most recent Legend Award recipient.
The Legend Award is the most prestigious distinction for a JRMC employee. The Legend Award recognizes employees who exceed expectations and are THE difference in the lives of those they serve.
Lunde, a Registered Nurse in Family Suites, was nominated for JRMC’s Legend Award by fellow Registered Nurse, Jessica Olafson.
After noticing an opportunity to improve how JRMC supports patients experiencing infant and fetal loss, Renae took it upon herself to research the topic and eventually built a bereavement program that has become a source of support, community and education. For years, Renae has presented on navigating loss to the nursing students at the University of Jamestown, as well as making step-by-step binders for nurses to follow in the occurrence of a loss.
JRMC recognized Renae Lunde as its most recent Legend Award recipient. Pictured left to right: Trisha Jungels, Chief Nursing Officer; Renae Lunde, Registered Nurse; Emily Woodley, Family Suites Nursing Manager.
“Renae has always been the type of nurse I aspire to become. She is caring, compassionate, knowledgeable, skilled, and levelheaded,” Olafson wrote in her nomination.
In addition to making binders for nurses, Renae also organizes information and resources that patients can take home and read through in their own time, including age-appropriate books to help parents explain their loss to siblings. She has even gone out of her way to make weighted teddy bears that match the weight of the baby to help fill empty arms.
“Renae has done a tremendous job with our Infant Bereavement Program,” said Family Suites Nursing Manager Emily Woodley. “She has made a huge difference to families during difficult times”.
Renae’s willingness to go above and beyond in supporting patients demonstrates her kindness and dedication to helping patients overcome an extremely challenging period in their lives. In the words of her nominator, “not everyone works to make the world a better place, but Renae does”.
About the Legend Award
A legend is not created in a day. It takes consistent commitment to performing with selfless purpose. A legend commits every day — without concern for recognition — to being irreplaceable. JRMC employees nominate one another for the honor; voted on by the 350 medical center team members.
The purpose of the Legend Award is to inspire, motivate and capture the moments that define JRMC. The goal is to help employees and volunteers connect to the sense of purpose that brought them to the organization. This award is for employees who’ve made extreme efforts to benefit their patients and colleagues.
The Legend Award first began in 2012. Since then, employees have named more than 40 individuals as Legends and nominated nearly 150.
