Nurse recognized as 2023 Advocate Health Care Nurse of the Year at Good Samaritan
Rita Garcia, R.N., a charge nurse in the critical care unit, was recently selected as a 2023 Nurse of the Year for her exemplary demonstration of Advocate Health Care’s core nursing values and unwavering delivery of best-in-class care.
Jane Dus, Chief Nursing Officer of Advocate Health-Midwest Region shares, “Advocate Health nurses deliver exceptional, evidence-based and equitable care to help all patients live fully. However, it’s their ability to bring their most authentic selves to work each day that lets us bear witness to the compassionate and driven individuals they are. It is a true honor to celebrate this excellence in action.”
Garcia was born in the Philippines to humble beginnings with an early goal to care for others. Her natural compassion and ability to care for complex patients has led to her current role.
Besides serving as the CCU charge nurse at Good Samaritan, she is a champion for stroke, neurology and education. Garcia is an advocate for patients and enjoys guiding new nurses, leading by example.
“We’re proud to have Rita on our team,” said Roseanne Niese, Chief Nursing Officer at Good Samaritan. “Nursing is her true calling, and it shows not only through her compassion for patients, but also her ability to lead and excel in the ever-changing hospital environment.”
More than 750 nominations for this premier award were received on behalf of nurses from a variety of specialties across the patient care continuum.
These front-line nurses represent diversity in their backgrounds and experiences, including honorees with decades of experience and others new to the profession yet already making an impact on their patients, colleagues and communities.
Nominations were submitted by clinicians and teammates and reviewed by peer committees for blinded judging according to each nominee’s passion for patient care, commitment to service, solution-oriented abilities and evidence-based practice.
Advocate Health Care is part of Advocate Health, which employs more than 42,000 nurses across the nation, including 27 acute care facilities and more than 500 sites of care in the Midwest.