Marion, Va., native named 2018 Public Health Nurse of the Year

MARION, Va. - After serving more than 30 years as a public health nurse in Southwest Virginia, Angela Alley was recently named 2018 Public Health Nurse of the Year by the Virginia Department of Health.

A native of Marion, the 62-year-old registered nurse has dedicated most of her life to serving her community as a public health nurse. After graduating from Wytheville Community College, she started with the Saltville Health Department. She then went to work with the Smyth County Health Department in Marion, where she has worked since.

"Nurses like Angela truly embody our mission of protecting the health and promoting the well-being of all people in Virginia," said Dr. M. Norman Oliver, acting state health commissioner. "I want to congratulate Angela on this achievement and thank her for over 30 years of service to the people of Southwest Virginia."

In her position with the health department, Alley fulfills a plethora of roles in every aspect of public health nursing, including Women, Infants and Children, pediatrics, maternity, family planning, immunization and foreign travel, epidemiology and baby care. For years, she worked as the charge nurse of a maternity clinic and now continues her maternity work with her Baby Care caseload. She is dedicated to improving birth outcomes and removing barriers to care - especially in a region that has a high poverty level and many residents do not have health insurance.

Through the Baby Care program, Alley travels to homes in the community for babies and infants up to age 2 and pregnant moms. Mothers can be followed through the program until they deliver. During these visits, Alley provides education and checks height, weight and other statistics.

"I love being able to see babies and pregnant women," Alley said. "The babies that I saw when I first started in nursing are now having babies of their own and coming in to the clinic. I get to follow them all the way through their life from birth to bearing their own children. I just love the connection I have to the people of the community and being able to help with whatever their needs are."

Alley is also involved with immunizations, both through clinics at the health department and by traveling into the community to administer shots. She has traveled to public schools to provide flu shots; this year, the department administered 5,795 doses of the flu vaccine to students ages K-12. Students are required to have a permission form signed by parents to receive the vaccination. Alley points out this is a valuable service the health department provides, as many parents work full-time and cannot take time off to get their children to the clinic for shots.

"Angie's expertise and extensive knowledge in not only immunization programs but all aspects of public health nursing is invaluable to the Mount Rogers nursing team," said Kelly Read, nursing supervisor for the Mount Rogers district. "Above all, she delivers compassionate nursing care that has had a positive impact on the health and well-being of many patients throughout her 32 years of practice."

According to Alley, one of the most challenging aspects of her career is keeping herself and the staff up-to-date on the most current vaccination recommendations and schedules, as new vaccines are being developed all the time.

Recently, she also participated in Remote Area Medical clinics in the region. Through these clinics, she is able to go out into the community and provide free health care to people who otherwise might not receive it.

"A lot of the people we serve don't have health insurance and they are very appreciative of what you do for them," she said. "That's what it's all about. This is my community; my children grew up here - it's a great group of people we have here. I love what I do - I really do. Not everybody can say that, and I'm blessed that way."

Alley said she's thankful for the career she has had and says working in public health has allowed her to raise her children the way she wanted to. She rarely missed a school event or any activities when her children were growing up. She says her coworkers are like family, and she's humbled and appreciative to have been nominated for the Public Health Nurse of the Year award when there are so many deserving nurses in the field.

"Angie is a dedicated and hard-working public health nurse," said Dr. Karen Shelton, director of the Mount Rogers Health District. "Her knowledge and expertise are greatly appreciated by colleagues and the community alike. She is well-deserving of this award."