EMPATHY AWARD – CHERYL FROST-ANDERSON

By Andrea Busche

Nurses often see us at our worst. When we are ill, we often feel quite vulnerable. With this in mind, a good nurse will treat us with the utmost dignity and respect.

Cheryl Frost-Anderson, a registered nurse and clinical site manager for Regency Home Healthcare, is the winner of this year’s Empathy Award. The purpose of this award is to honor a nurse who displays a true understanding of another’s situation, a great sense of their emotions, and an ability to understand their thoughts and feelings

Home health care

Home health care is a unique area of nursing.

“We really take a holistic approach,” FrostAnderson said. “We look at the whole person. We make sure they have food, medical equipment, and medications, but we also do wound care, lab draws, and help them as they are coming home from the hospital. We do a lot of education, and make sure our clients and their families have the resources they need.”

Regency Home

Healthcare also offers the assistance of home health aides, homemakers, and personal care attendants, making it a multi-faceted, team approach to help clients with their needs.

Senior citizens and individuals with mental health concerns are some of FrostAnderson’s biggest client demographic. They are often referred to Regency by a physician, social worker or mental health case worker.

A personal experience

Frost-Anderson became interested in nursing after personally suffering a medical illness while in high school.

“I really saw some compassionate nurses and I thought, ‘Maybe that’s something I can do,’” she explained. Her personal experience lends an extra layer of connection to her patients.

Frost-Anderson attended the College of St. Scholastica and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She and her husband, Stuart, and their dog, Molly, make their home in the Lakewood neighborhood of Duluth. Their grown daughter, Becky, is an anesthesiologist.

Nomination

Frost-Anderson was nominated for the Empathy Award by her colleague, Molly Drewlo.

“Cheryl demonstrates true compassion and empathy, and goes above and beyond for each of her clients,” said Drewlo.

“Home care is a unique area of nursing where nurses are present right within the home of each of their clients, allowing the nurse to really get an understanding of barriers people face at home to meet medical and mental health needs.

“Cheryl not only is proficient and thorough in her nursing assessments and interventions, but also strives to connect clients with the resources and support they need,” she added. “Most importantly, Cheryl always takes the time to listen to her clients. Often, a homecare nurse is the only social support a client may have for the week. She truly cares for each person as if they were her own family.

“The extra steps Cheryl takes positively impact the health, mental health, and quality of life for many people in our community. Cheryl is a role model for the quality of care we should all strive for as nurses.”

Of receiving the Empathy Award, FrostAnderson said, “It’s humbling. I wish we could recognize all health care workers, and that every nurse could be recognized like this.”