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Julia “Judy” Powell, BSN ’71
ALUMNI GIVING written by valerie fraser luesse
Every single day here at the School of Nursing, we have reason to be grateful to the many generous alumni who support our Annual Fund. Our Annual Fund helps close the gap between what we have and what we need. Through annual gifts, our alumni enable us to continue the important work of removing barriers to health care, not just here in Alabama, but around the world. “The School of Nursing is introducing a number of leadership gift clubs to recognize Annual Fund donors who have decided to make giving to the school a priority and lend their support every year,” said Jeannie Horton, senior director of development and alumni affairs. “Membership is renewable annually and is based on the cumulative 22 | UAB SCHOOL OF NURSING
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amount given to the Annual Fund within the year. We’re also offering convenient multi-year pledges to help our donors plan their continuing gifts and to cut down on the number of annual solicitations.” Julia “Judy” Powell (BSN ’71) is among those alumni whose faithful generosity to the Annual Fund has had a continuing impact on the school. As senior vice president of patient services for National HealthCare Corporation, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Powell oversees a support department of all clinical disciplines—dietetics, social work, nursing, nursing informatics, health information, and recreation—for a corporation serving 11 states with 75 nursing homes, over 30 home care programs, assisted/independent living facilities, a hospice company, and rehabilitation services. The company also runs a nonprofit foundation which supports physician and nursing education in longterm-care geriatrics. Powell said she enjoys working in a field where the needs are so great and the environment is constantly changing. That’s one of many reasons why she wants to support UAB’s efforts to prepare the next generation of nurses to serve this patient population. “The UAB community and the Birmingham medical community have a number of known researchers in geriatrics, so they recognize a need that I consider very important,” Powell said. “But I also think it is important for all of us who have enjoyed wonderful careers in nursing to support the development of future nurses. I’ve been successful, and part of my success I owe to the UAB School of Nursing. I think I have an obligation to give back.”