Liz Way has the heart of a servant.
It’s apparent in her role at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and also away from the hospital, whether it be helping at-risk youth find their path in life or digging latrines while doing missionary work in developing nations around the world.
“It’s my passion. It is definitely what fuels me, rejuvenates me,” Way said. “I by nature am a servant, that is definitely my gift.”
Craig Clohessy: You are a nurse director at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. What does your job entail?
Liz Way: I am the director of case management, and I facilitate a team of eight that coordinates discharges, medications and any discharge needs, so that we can transition patients from the hospital to the next level of care. I have a team of seven nurses and one social worker that works with me at St. Joe’s.
CC: So it’s making the transition away from the hospital easier for patients?
LW: That’s exactly right. We’re putting plans in place for a discharge, so that may be home health, it may be one of our skilled nursing facilities, it may be hospice, it may be a transition just to home to make sure that they have everything they need to continue their recovery in a post-acute care environment.
CC: I imagine that also includes moms with newborns?
LW: Absolutely, yes, making sure that our moms have the support they need, that they’ve had the education and if they’re needing support that they have the referrals in the community for follow-up.
CC: You were honored recently with the Lewis-Clark State College Women’s Leadership Award in the community member category. In the nomination it noted you possess “a willingness to continually learn, adapt and grow to best serve patients in the ever-changing world of health care.” Talk a bit about that and how it has been particularly important to adapt and grow during this last year during the pandemic?
LW: We learned to do a lot of things differently in health care in the last year. I have been at St. Joe’s 32 years, and this last year was by far one of the most challenging in my career. We had to learn, of course, how to keep our patients and staff safe through a pandemic, how to keep our visitors and our families safe, how to coordinate information with family members that couldn’t be with their loved ones in the hospital.
It definitely was a challenging year for us.
CC: Away from the hospital, talk about your volunteer efforts, both in local youth ministry and also your years doing missionary work?
LW: I have been on 10 mission trips. I have been to the Kingdom of Tonga; I have been to Honduras. I am going to Manila in the Philippines this year. I’ve gone on strictly medical trips, where we’ve done clinics. We’ve worked in the hospital in the capital city of Honduras in Tegucigalpa, and we also have gone to do construction and building on what’s called a CDC, or a child development center, where children in a particular neighborhood in a city will have access to education and to food and to medical care.
I’ve been very blessed to get to serve in a wide variety of ranges.
I am also involved in a Wednesday evening program (in the community) that serves at-risk youth. ... This year has been a particular emphasis on help with homework with kids that are doing ... Zoom classes. We provide a place where the kids gather, to have a hot meal, to fellowship with one another.
CC: Have you always been drawn to serve?
LW: I have. It probably explains why I am a nurse. It is a caregiver field for sure, and I have always known since I was a child that I was going to be a nurse, and I have always been drawn to service.
CC: Obviously, you don’t do it for recognition sake. Were you surprised when you learned you were being honored with the women’s leadership award?
LW: I truly was. I graduated from Lewis-Clark State College twice — I did my RN (registered nurse) program and worked five years and went back and did my bachelor’s in nursing. I have served with some very dynamic people from Lewis-Clark State College, so it was quite an honor for me to be recognized.
CC: Is there anything else you would like to add?
LW: I think the other thing prominent in my career, in my life, is the opportunities that St. Joe’s has given me. I’ve gone back to school twice since I’ve been at St. Joe’s. I have been a risk manager and director of case management. I have had the opportunities to learn and to grow. I have been supported by St. Joe’s, and I am most appreciative of that.
Clohessy is managing editor of the Lewiston Tribune. He may be contacted at cclohessy@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2251.
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Age: 64
City of residence: Moscow (recently)
Title/occupation: Nurse, director case management, St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.
Family: Married, four grown children.
Education: Bachelor of Science in nursing, Lewis-Clark State College; certificate in health care risk management, Everett Community College.
Work history: Northwest Children’s Home and SJRMC.
Hobbies/interests: Ministry, travel and cooking.
Do you have any hidden talents, or is there anything else that might surprise people about you?: “I think cooking. I have used that skill for fundraising and outreach.”