Paris Regional Health Celebrates 2025 Heart of Nursing Nurse of the Year

Paris Regional Health proudly recognized excellence in nursing care during a special ceremony held February 12 at the hospital, where team members gathered to celebrate the 2025 Heart of Nursing Nurse of the Year.

The Heart of Nursing Award is presented quarterly to recognize nurses who consistently demonstrate compassion, excellence, and dedication to patient care. From the four quarterly recipients each year, one nurse is selected as the Nurse of the Year.

The 2025 quarterly award recipients included Shelby Vorwerk, William McCraney, Micah Zachry, and Jonathan Mendez. From this distinguished group, William McCraney was named the 2025 Heart of Nursing Nurse of the Year.

This recognition reflects not only the nominations submitted by peers and leaders, but also the daily commitment, consistency, and compassion each nominee brings to the nursing profession. These nurses exemplify Paris Regional Health’s core values and the vital role nurses play in delivering exceptional care to patients and families across the region.

The ceremony also featured remarks from 2024 Nurse of the Year, Marlin Vaught, who shared meaningful reflections on the impact nurses make every day within the hospital and throughout the community.

“Events like this remind us that the heart of healthcare is our people,” Executive Director of Nursing Operations, Kara Cannedy. “Our nurses demonstrate extraordinary dedication, and we are proud to recognize their service and commitment.”

At Paris Regional Health, our nurses live out our mission of making communities healthier each day, and we extend our sincere gratitude to all quarterly award recipients and every member of our nursing team for the compassionate, high-quality care they provide to our patients and community.