The annual Unsung Hero Award recognizes Nebraska Medicine or UNMC colleagues for their community volunteer work, the way they display the ITEACH values and how they embody diversity personally and professionally.
This year, two individuals were selected for this incredible honor and were recognized at the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event last week. Take a moment to read more about the med center’s award winners and learn how they are making a positive impact in the community and with patients.
Jessica McGhee, Unsung Hero Award winner for community
McGhee, a staff nurse with women’s services for Nebraska Medicine, was selected for this award because of her involvement in developing the Doula Passage Program curriculum for local non-profit I Be Black Girl. Along with nurse midwife Heather Ramsey, she helped create the maternal health basics education portion of the program and assisted doulas with hands-on learning when they visited Nebraska Medical Center for a portion of their training.
McGhee’s innovative grassroots approach to combating the rising maternal morbidity and mortality rates in Black Americans directly impacts not only the 40 doulas in the program’s first cohort, but also has broader implications for community empowerment and education.
“The knowledge and skills acquired by these doulas can potentially lead to a positive ripple effect as they share their experiences within their communities, creating a cycle of education and empowerment,” said nurse supervisor Jennifer Page, McGhee’s nominator for this award.
McGhee also was lauded for being her unit’s social committee leader. She recently organized a work volunteer event serving dinner at the Ronald McDonald House and several donation drives for the Omaha Women’s Center for Advancement, an organization that serves women and families experiencing domestic violence, assault or human trafficking. She coordinates monthly unit bonding activities, including karaoke nights, holiday parties and potlucks. She also supports her colleagues by organizing meal trains, gift baskets and cards for those in need.
McGhee is humbled to be chosen as one of the two Unsung Hero Award recipients this year.
“I was totally taken off guard, but I’m so grateful to be chosen because it means somebody saw something in me that was deserving to be considered for this award,” she said. “I don’t do these things to win awards. I do it because I care and because I want to be involved in the community beyond the baseline of what a nurse is.”
Brian O’Reilly, Unsung Hero Award winner for diversity
O’Reilly is a physical therapist specializing in sports medicine who works for the outpatient rehabilitation team at Bellevue Medical Center. He was nominated for the Unsung Hero Award because of the way he connects with his diverse patient population and goes above and beyond to make them feel seen and heard.
One of the ways O’Reilly embodies the spirit of diversity is in his recent endeavor to learn Spanish to better connect with his Spanish-speaking patients.
“In my years of experience, I’ve seen people of Hispanic cultures struggle with health care because they don’t think they can connect with their provider or trust them – not because translators are doing a bad job, but just because it takes the personal connection out of it,” he said.
O’Reilly started learning Spanish six months ago when he discovered a language-learning book designed specifically for physical therapists. It explains Spanish translations for different body parts, how to discuss pain and other clinical terminology. He shares his knowledge with his co-workers by working with his manager to include a Spanish phrase of the day in their daily huddles. He has even convinced a colleague to join him in learning the language.
“My Spanish-speaking patients appreciate the fact that someone is taking the effort to better connect with them,” he said. “I’m not fluent yet – I only know bits and pieces – but they are patient with me and very supportive.”
In O’Reilly’s nomination, he also was recognized for his community service work. He is a soccer coach for underprivileged youth through the Omaha Police Athletics for Community Engagement program and assists with his church’s locker room lunch box program for elementary school kids with food insecurity.
O’Reilly also is an active and crucial member of the Nebraska Medicine sports medicine program and helped develop the Saturday morning sports injury clinic, which provides no cost injury evaluations for athletes with sports-related injuries that have developed in the last 48 hours.
“It’s an important service because it makes our care and expertise accessible to those who might not be able to afford it,” he said.
Jessica is also a pretty good dancer (dancefit at the YMCA). I appreciate front row people to follow. 🙂
Congratulations on your award! Awesome.