Weaver earns national award

Holly Weaver was chosen for a national award.

It’s the Health Beginnings program as a whole, she said, that is deserving of such recognization.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center recently honored Weaver, a nurse at IU Health Jay, as its 2023 Pathway Nurse of the Year.

“It’s very overwhelming,” said Weaver, who works as a maternal infant navigator in the hospital’s Healthy Beginnings program. “I’m not really one that likes public accolades. … I work on a team of people … I cannot and don’t do my work alone.”

The award recognizes the  “outstanding contributions of … one direct care nurse from all Pathway to Excellence®-designated organizations around the world.” It was presented recently at the co-located American Nurses Credentialing Center National Magnet Conference® and the American Nurses Credentialing Center Pathway to Excellence Conference® in Chicago.

“Winners have made a positive impact on their practice environment by role modeling exceptional professionalism and leadership in working collaboratively with team members and integrating clinical expertise with compassionate patient interactions,” the organization said in a press release. “They successfully found creative ways to foster engagement, nursing excellence, and shared decision making.”

“Holly is an amazing nurse, and she energizes her peers to be better, do better, and advance the practice of nursing at IU Health Jay,” said IU Health Jay chief operating officer and chief nursing officer Christina Schemenaur in a press release. “In my mind, there is no one more deserving of the Pathway to Excellence Nurse of the Year Award than Holly Weaver.”

As a maternal infant navigator for Healthy Beginnings — it launched in 2020 when the hospital discontinued birthing services and has since been honored with Indiana State Department of Health's Office of Rural Health Community Impact Award — Weaver helps patients during their pregnancy. 

Her work includes attending appointments with patients and working with them to assist with challenges such as transportation, child care and work commitments that might make getting to the doctor’s office difficult. She also provides education in a variety of areas, including making sure patients understand their insurance and the care that is required during pregnancy. 

Weaver connects patients with resources such as WIC (women, infants and children), Healthy Families and pre-natal classes that cover topics like childbirth, breastfeeding and safe sleep. And she helps patients who need assistance with smoking, drug abuse and mental health challenges.

Healthy Beginnings also has Wellbaby navigators who assist women and infants, providing similar resources to those Weaver handles during pregnancy. The program also has programs that provide free diapers and car seats. And it has been involved in various community outreach efforts, including currently partnering with Jay County Public Library on adult mental health.

“We don’t all have equal support in their lives,” said Weaver. “We’re here for them, as a team. We’re here to support them …

“We try to do a lot. We try to have a holistic family approach, making sure all the needs are met.”

A 1992 Jay County High School graduate, Weaver went on to earn her associate’s degree from Lutheran College of Health Professionals in Fort Wayne. She started her career with Dr. Stephen Myron at Preferred Family Physicians in Portland and has been with the local hospital — IU Health Jay and previously Jay County Hospital — for more than 23 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University – East in 2017.

Part of her passion for helping pregnant mothers comes from her own experience, as she had supportive nurses who “made me feel like I could be the best mom” when she gave birth to her son.

“I want my patients to feel the same way,” said Weaver. “I don’t care what their circumstances are. I don’t care what their background is. … We all have the ability, with the right resources and support, to be the best parents that we can be. And I want parents to feel that way. … I want to help them do that.”