‘I just about fell off my chair’

When Tamara Laws, a nurse at Melissa Memorial Hospital in Holyoke, learned that she had been selected as Population Health Nurse of the Year, a national award, she was, to say the least, pleasantly surprised.

“I just about fell off my chair,” Laws said. “It was unexpected for me. I do my job and make sure I do it well, but I did not expect to be nominated, let alone win.”

But win she did. As a result she has been invited to attend the 2023 Signify Health Symposium, which will be held May 24 and 25 in San Antonio, Texas, where she will participate in a panel discussion, “Looking Back to Move Forward for Better Patient Care.” At the symposium, she will receive a trophy and press kit to recognize her accomplishments, as well as formal congratulations and recognition. A virtual recognition event is set for May 6, where Laws’ regional team will share briefly why they chose to nominate her for the award.

Last year, Laws attended Signify Health in San Diego, and – based on that experience – expects the San Antonio event to be fun.

“There are a lot of educational opportunities and a national panel discussion,” she said, “which is a little nerve-wracking, but it’ll be okay. It’s nerve-wracking to get up there, but once you’re in the middle of it, you’re okay.”

This award is not just for rural communities; thousands of clinics are involved, including many rural health clinics, but also FQHC’s, or Federally Qualified Health Centers. 

“That can be a huge hospital system too, a huge clinic system, so you’re in the pool with everybody,” Laws said. “That’s why I almost fell off my chair!”

She partnered with Family Practice of Holyoke Clinic Manager Jayden Miracle to start a remote monitoring program. This program – the only one of its kind in Colorado – gives patients the tools to monitor themselves at home with take-home technology including blood pressure cuffs, scales, heart monitors, and body metrics monitors. These tools allow participants to take action before a possible threat becomes more serious.

According to Miracle, she was very excited when she heard that Laws had won the award. In fact, she nominated Laws in the first place.

“I called her. I was at a conference last week when she got the announcement,” Miracle said. “She didn’t know I nominated her in February. I knew she was a great candidate for it, so I wrote up all her accomplishments and sent it in, and was so glad she got it!”

Miracle noted Laws’ accomplishments included growing the clinic’s care management program, establishing two evidence-based programs for their diabetes prevention program and their diabetes self-management education services, and she has been able to get the credentials and implement the programs to benefit the community.

“Tamara’s a wealth of knowledge,” Miracle said. “She’s a passionate nurse. She started out in home health, which is kind of a different sector of health care - you have to be really compassionate - and I think that’s really helped her to develop this population health side. She truly is the example of Population Health Nurse. She understands complex conditions and connects them to evidence-based programs to improve health outcomes. She’s been really successful in this role and she’s been great to work with.”

Laws and Miracle look forward to continuing to advance possibilities for their patients.