Continued on next page

GREAT NEWSJULY 2020

50-Year Nursing Career Comes to an EndJudy Brueck to retire after reaching half-century milestone

You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.— Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go

Judy Brueck had been a nurse for 20 years when Dr. Seuss published “Oh, the Places You Will Go.” But she refers to the book as the theme of her 50-year career. The longest-tenured employee in Great River Medical Center’s history will retire Aug. 7.

“When I got to 45 years, I thought, What’s five more?’,” said Brueck, who will reach the milestone anniversary July 27.

(JoEllen Hoth, MD, who retired Jan. 1, 2019, was on the hospital’s medical staff for 50 years, but she wasn’t an employee.)

Nursing by heartIf Brueck wrote an autobiography in Seussian style, it would begin, in her own words: I bartended. I waitressed. I cleaned houses …

But it was nursing that captured her heart.

Brueck was a candy striper at Keokuk’s former Graham Hospital when the Keokuk National Guard Armory blew up during a Thanksgiving eve dance in 1965. Twenty-one people died from the explo-sion or burns, and another 19 were injured.

Your health counts.

The hospital became a burn unit for patients who weren’t transferred out of town. Sixteen-year-old Brueck cleaned and refilled linen carts, stocked sterile supplies, passed water to patients, direct-ed visitors and volunteered for any task she could do. The experience solidified her decision to become a nurse.

When she was a high school senior, Brueck began taking classes at Southeastern Community College’s Keokuk campus, which adjoins Keokuk High School. She finished licensed practical nursing classes in downtown Burlington through SCC, which was still developing its campus in West Burlington.

“I started at $2.84 hour without benefits because nurses were supposed to be married to men who had benefits at their jobs,” Brueck said. She worked nights in the Emergency Department and Inten-sive Care Unit for 10 years.

“It worked well for me,” she said. “My two sisters were in high school when I started working, and my mom was ill. We all helped take care of my mom, and I watched over my sisters.” Brueck’s sister Paula Willoughby-DeJesus also received a nursing degree from SCC, and then earned a medical degree. She has been an emergency physician at Great River Medical Center for about 10 years. Their other sister, Julia Dean, is deceased.

While working nights, Brueck earned her registered nurse diploma from SCC in 1979. In 2005, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Illinois Univer-sity.

50 Years of FunAfter being a nurse for 50 years, Judy Brueck can’t single out a favorite moment.

“I don’t have one. All are very different,” she said. “At the time, it’s the best, but another one comes and it’s the best in a different way. They all help you grow.”

Known for her humor, Brueck shared a couple of funny stories from her career:

Judy helps a patient escape“When I was working nights, I helped my patient escape. It was 2 a.m., and an elderly man dressed in a sport coat and wearing glasses asked me how to get out of the hospital. (Patients look different when they’re wearing clothes!) I showed him the elevator and told him how to get out.

“Later, I went to his room and he was gone, and I knew what had happed. We got a call from a police officer who found a man with a hospital gown sticking out of his pants and sport coat at Lamb’s Diner a few blocks away. The officer said he would return the patient when the man finished drinking his coffee.”

Boss’ wreath makes a nice hat“Teresa Colgan was the new director of Quality Resources. [Colgan is now Chief Clinical Officer]. The Gift Shop was hav-ing an Easter bonnet decorating contest, and Linda Voigt and I took a huge wreath off the wall in Teresa’s office when she was gone. We decorated it with flowers we found on a housekeeping cart and other stuff we picked up. I put it on my head and entered the contest as a joke.

“We ended up winning a prize! We pleaded with the gift shop manager to not post the photo because Teresa would find out! We ended up having to tell her.”

Click here to read more of Judy’s story

50-Year Nursing Career

New ProvidersMark Frisch, MDEmergency Medicine

Great River Medical Center1221 S. Gear Ave.West Burlington

Medical degree: University of Miami, Miami, Fla.Residency: Washington University/Barnes Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Mo.Certification: American Board of Emergency Medicine

Dalip Pelinkovic, MDSpine Surgery and Orthopaedics

Orthopaedic SpecialistsWellness Plaza, Suite 1011401 W. Agency Rd.West Burlington319-768-4970

Medical degree: Johann Wolfgang Goethe Univer-sity, Frankfurt, GermanyResidency: Wayne State University, Detroit, Mich.Fellowship: Orthopaedic adult and pediatric spine, Rush University, Chicago, Ill.Certification: American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

Breastfeeding MonthIn recognition of National Breastfeeding Month in August, Great River Medical Center is raising money to support breastfeeding at the hospital.

Some benefits of breastfeeding are:• Breastfed babies are less likely to develop asthma.• Breastfeeding reduces the risk of sudden infant

death syndrome.• Children who are breastfed for six months are less

likely to become obese.• Breastfeeding protects babies from illnesses in-

cluding diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia.• Mothers who breastfeed have a decreased risk of

breast and ovarian cancers.

Donor milk is used at the hospital by newborns with special needs and those who need supplemental milk while their mothers are breastfeeding.

T-Shirt and Tank Sale, $15 to $18Order shirts online.

July Casual DaysEmployees purchase $2 stickers for the opportuni-ty to wear jeans to work on designated Fridays. The July casual days and organizations they benefit are:

July 10 Boy Scouts of America, Mississippi Valley Council

July 24 Great River Friends

Start date: April 2016. I was a phlebotomist – a person who draws blood for laboratory tests – for one year before transferring to Human Resources.

What a typical day looks like for me: I track employees’ licensures and certifications, support the Human Resources generalists, provide information to existing and potential employees, and coordinate health system and community orientation for new health care providers.

What I wanted to be when I grew up: A pastry chef

Hometown / Where I live now: Mount Pleasant

Family: • Husband, Kyle• Daughter, Khloe, 3• Baby due in January

Things I enjoy:Hawkeye sports events, shopping, gardening, and spending time with friends and family

If I could choose anyone, my mentor would be: My grandma

People would be surprised to know … My husband and I are adopted.

Employee Profile

Kailey EmersonHuman Resources Specialist

Human Resources

My motto or personal mantra: The Golden Rule: Treat other the way you want them to treat you.

Given a chance, I would be this person for a day: Joanna Gaines

Who I root for:Hawkeyes and Green Bay Packers

Hidden talent:Styling my coworkers, according to them!

My biggest achievement:Being the first person in my immediate and ex-tended family to graduate from college