Nursing Excellence Awards Dinner Honors Outstanding Nurses for Compassion, Leadership, and Service

Left to Right: Sarah Gilleland, Terisa Valdez, Angela Hernandez, Andrea Griego, Monica Hinds, Ellen Lane, Kourtney Zamarripa

Celebrating Outstanding Nursing Excellence

Nurses from across the San Luis Valley were honored for their exceptional dedication, compassion, and commitment to patient care during the 2026 Nursing Excellence Awards Dinner, held on March 27, 2026, at the Rio Grande Hospital Wellness Center in Del Norte.

The evening celebrated nurses who consistently go above and beyond in their roles, recognizing outstanding contributions in clinical practice, leadership, education, and research. Honorees demonstrated exemplary professionalism, innovation, and a deep commitment to improving the health and well being of patients and families. Family members, colleagues, health care leaders, and community partners gathered to acknowledge the extraordinary impact nurses make every day, often in quiet and unseen ways.

The Excellence in Nursing Award, formerly known as the Nightingale Awards, was established in 1985 to acknowledge the outstanding nurses in our region whose hard work and dedication improve the health of others. For more than four decades, the program has served as a meaningful way to honor the impact nurses have on individuals, families, and communities.

Awards were presented in multiple categories, including Acute Care Clinical Practice LPN, Acute Care Clinical Practice RN, Clinical Advanced Practice RN, Eminence Award, and Nurse Led Teams and Nursing Administration, Executive and CNO.

Keynote: The Heart of Nursing

The keynote address was delivered by Daniel Sours, FNP, who reflected on the shared experience that unites nurses across specialties. “You can put nurses from completely different areas in the same room, and within minutes they are swapping stories like they have worked together for years,” Sours said. “No matter where we practice, we share the same core experience, caring for people on their best days, their worst days, and everything in between.”

Sours emphasized that while nursing is often described as heroic, its true power lies in everyday moments. “Nursing excellence is not built in the big, visible moments,” he shared. “It is built in the everyday ones, the nurse who notices something is off and speaks up, the educator who makes something complicated finally click, the leader who advocates for their team, and the colleagues who show up for each other shift after shift.”

Drawing from more than two decades in health care, including time as a CNA, ICU nurse, and now a nurse practitioner, Sours highlighted the consistency of nursing’s purpose across roles. “Whether someone is critically ill or navigating something deeply personal, what they need is the same,” he said. “They need competence, presence, and to feel like someone is truly on their side.”

Honorees were selected based on peer nominations that highlighted dedication, teamwork, professionalism, and positive influence in the workplace. This year’s San Luis Valley Health nominees included Sarah Alonzo, BSN, RN; Katherine Blount, MSN Ed, RN, NPD BC; Bethany Caton, ACNP C; Kimberly Chacon, MS, RN; Samantha Crawford, BSN, RN; Andrea Griego, BSN, RN, RNC OB; Jade (Steve) Haden, BSN, RN, CDCES; Wendi Harrison, BSN, RN, C EFM; Angela Hernandez, MSN Ed, RN; Monica Hinds, BSN, RN; Amy Lopez, BSN, RN; Sheridan Maestas, BSN, RN; Victor Njoga, BSN, RN; Arlyn Oakes, RN; Misty Palacios, RN; Kyle Schell, BSN, RN; Lisa M. Romero, LPN; Terisa Valdez, BSN, RNC LRN, C EFM; and Michael Welch Diaz, ADN.

The final winners for their category were Andrea Griego, BSN, RN; Terisa Valdez, BSN, RN; Sarah Gilleland BSN, RN, CEN; Monica Hinds, BSN, RN; and Angela Hernandez, MSN-Ed, RN, Kyle Schell, BSN, RN (not pictured); and Bethany Caton, MSN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC (not pictured).

Celebrating Teamwork and Shared Purpose in Nursing

Throughout the night, speakers recognized that nursing is never a solo effort. “Nursing has always been a team endeavor,” Sours noted. “It is held together by shared purpose, mutual support, and the resilience to keep going, even on the hardest days.”

The Nursing Excellence Awards Dinner is held annually and demonstrates the San Luis Valley’s enduring commitment to recognizing professional accomplishments and supporting nursing excellence throughout the region.

The Colorado Statewide 2026 Excellence in Nursing Gala will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Denver Art Museum.

For more information about the Nursing Excellence Awards or future events, visit
https://www.cahec.org/excellenceinnursingawards