Zana McClure, CNA, has been named a Special Programs Caregiver of the Year by Maxim Healthcare Services, a provider of home healthcare, behavioral care, healthcare staffing, personal caregiving, and population health and wellness solutions. The Pierson resident is being recognized for her dedicated care of patients at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans.
McClure has been working at the long-term care facility for more than eight years and currently cares for 29 veterans. She helps her patients, who range from octogenarians that served in World War II to veterans of modern conflicts who would otherwise be homeless, with a variety of needs. McClure is known among her patients for her clinical skill, as well as her companionship. When she’s not providing medical care, she is walking patients around the grounds, preparing them to eat and assisting with extracurricular activities like woodworking and ceramics.
McClure’s commitment to the veterans in her unit is a personal one. Her husband served in the armed forces for 15 years and unexpectedly passed away in 2017 while working as a mechanical engineer. Following his tragic death, McClure coped by throwing herself into her work where her responsibilities took on new meaning. “This is something I need to do to honor him,” she said.
When McClure is not at work, she is taking care of her own mother at home. Her teammates contend that McClure treats all her patients like family and is always willing to step up for others. “She does all of this because she is committed to the veterans, their families and her teammates. She is dedicated to ensuring our veterans never go without care, and her level of selfless service goes unmatched,” said Jawn Oilar, portfolio director at Maxim.
A panel of judges selected McClure and three other regional winners to be recognized at a special awards ceremony hosted by Maxim Healthcare Services in Orlando, Florida, on January 30. McClure’s commitment to quality patient care will be highlighted in a tribute video debuted at the ceremony.
Now in its seventh year, the Caregiver of the Year Award program celebrates nurses and home healthcare aides for the key roles they play in delivering quality, patient-centered care to some of the nation’s most medically fragile and chronically ill patients.
