Firelands Health nominates employee for Health Care Worker of the Year Award
Representatives at Firelands Health nominated Katherine “Katy” McGraw, APRN-CNP, NPC, ACHPN, for the 2025 Ohio Hospital Association’s (OHA) Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award. Katy is a Firelands Physician Group palliative care nurse practitioner.
The Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award is presented annually to one Ohio caregiver who personifies a leader, consistently goes beyond the call of duty, exemplifies the mission, vision and values of their organization, and positively impacts their community.
Katy works closely with the patients and staff at the University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center at Firelands Regional Medical Center in addition to managing her own clinic of complex patients. Her nomination read, “Many of our patients are complex (cancer) and Katy takes the time to sit with them and assess them. Katy routinely goes above and beyond the call of duty by being available to the patients and the cancer center nurses and doctors. She helps us navigate difficult situations and is quick to respond to our patients and their needs.”
Organizational values are encouraged to be a focal point of the Health Care Worker of the Year Award. Firelands’ values are attitude, commitment and enthusiasm (ACE). Katy’s nomination read, “Katy not only assists in helping our cancer patients manage their pain, symptoms and side effects from chemotherapy and radiation, she also provides support and comfort for patients and their families. Our patients love Katy, they look forward to seeing her, she is a bright spot in their journey.”
Katy has worked in healthcare for 40 years. She began her career as an LPN, then earned her RN while raising two sons with her husband, Brian. In 2010, she achieved her degree as a Nurse Practitioner and the next year became certified in hospice and palliative care.
The award will be presented at OHA’s annual meeting in May.
