A Constant, Caring Presence By Vickie Elkins, RN, Community Health Nursing Director, Okeechobee County
“It was my great joy to help bring two generations of healthy children into the world. Nothing can replace such pleasure.”
Karen Cooper has devoted 24 years of service to the Florida Department of Health, launching her career as a registered nurse in Okeechobee County in 1990. Two years later, Cooper earned her degree as an advanced registered
Karen Cooper, ARNP OKEECHOBEE COUNTY
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nurse practitioner from Emory University School of Medicine. During her career with the Department, Cooper’s role has been vital to many successes and instrumental in the grant writing that brought clinics to every school in Okeechobee County. As a provider of public health services, she saw patients for family planning services and played a critical role in overseeing the obstetrics program from 1992 until it closed in June of 2012. Cooper’s knowledge, dedication and caring attitude are evident in the two generations she assisted in birthing healthy children. “It was my great joy to help bring two generations of healthy children into the world,” Cooper says. “Nothing can replace such pleasure.” Working in a small health department has made Cooper an integral part of day-to-day operations. She is a constant presence in daily activities such as family planning education, women’s health care and consultation with patients who have tested positive for sexually transmitted diseases. Cooper’s care and devotion to the community were especially evident during several emergency preparedness responses. She was instrumental in operating the 2004 Special Needs Shelter at Okeechobee High School and the 2009 H1N1 drive-through flu immunization clinics at the Agri-Civic Center and Fairgrounds. Cooper is certified in adoption training, holds Florida medication certification and has served on the Fetal and Infant Mortality Review board. In this capacity, she was tasked with reviewing infant death causes and intervening to reduce death rates in the community. Cooper’s service to the Department and to the women and families of Okeechobee County cannot merely be measured by the 24 years she has devoted to her community. It must also include the professional commitment and personal care she gives to every client she meets.