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From always being on the move to imparting a wealth of knowledge; from offering compassionate support to exuding a great sense of humor — and much more — Dianne Ogorzaly, 5 West, is being honored as the 2025 Health Unit Coordinator (HUC) of the Year by the UVA Health University Medical Center Nursing Professional Governance Organization (NPGO).

Winners of this annual award are hailed for earning colleagues’ respect by excelling in customer service, patient advocacy, empathy, and teamwork.

On Aug. 28, during National Health Unit Coordinator Reoognition Week, UVA Health University Medical Center Associate Chief Nursing Officer Veronica Brill, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, and Director of Nursing Business Operations Kathryn King Perkinson, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CEN, surprised Ogorzaly with the 2025 HUC of the Year Award!

What does the honoree love about being a UVA Health HUC? "I thrive in a detail-oriented environment, and I’ve always enjoyed helping others," says Ogorzaly. "I feel very lucky to be in a role in which I can make a difference by doing something I’m good at — and genuinely enjoy what I’m doing at the same time!"

Kathleen Rea, DNP, MSN, RN, PCCN, CNS, CNL; Allison Belle, BSN, RN; Coburn Bergum, BSN, RN, CMSRN; and Jackie Meurer, BSN, RN, CNRN, nominated Ogorzaly on behalf of the 5 West team:

Customer Service: ‘Impeccable Attention to Detail’

“Dianne is always on the move! When she answers the call bell, she will try to personally provide the patient with whatever it is that they need (within her scope) instead of asking someone else to do it. She frequently goes into the patients' rooms to understand what it is they’re asking for. She never shies away from lending a helping hand!

“She is vocal about bed alarms — first shouting out what room the bed exit is in — and if there is no immediate response, she will call out individuals to respond quickly to keep our patients safe. This strategy recently allowed a team member to intervene for a confused patient who was trying to exit the bed over the rail with the foley catheter secured on the other side. The potential for serious injury was removed because of Dianne's quick action. She has an impeccable attention to detail and consistently follows through on everything.”

Patient Advocacy: ‘Amazing Support’

“I am always amazed at Dianne's wealth of knowledge. It feels like she knows everything! She is an amazing support to the nurses and to the patients. We were trying to get a patient into a wheelchair. We thought we would have to go searching for a specific chair that the legs could be elevated with. Dianne said she thought they did raise on the standard blue wheelchairs. The other nurse and I were skeptical but sure enough — Dianne pulled an unseen lever and the legs popped up! It seems like such a trivial example but something similar occurs just about every shift.

“Dianne keeps notes of supply items and/or procedures that rarely come up — that way she can reference them in the future when they come up again. Those notes have come in very handy on several occasions.

“She keeps things well stocked and is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure things are done, even when having to coordinate with various services such as housekeeping or maintenance.” 

Empathy: ‘Warm, Kind, and Tender’

“There was a patient who needed to live on 5 West for weeks while we worked on a safe discharge plan. Dementia was significant. Dianne made time every shift to talk with him, help distract and redirect him, and learn about his life. She realized he was much happier when he was wearing "real" clothes: pants, shirts, belt, hat during the day — and pajamas at night.”

“Dianne took personal responsibility for making sure he had clean clothes available. She would pack up items for the laundry, assure they were washed and returned to the unit, and then cycle the next load. This warm, kind, and tender way of helping is one of many examples that illustrate Dianne's compassionate support of patients and team members.”

One UVA Health Team: ‘Well Loved’

“Dianne is a great help when it comes to patient call bell requests .... willing to go to the patients’ rooms and ask what is needed, even providing it to them when appropriate.”

“Dianne is honestly everything you would want in a HUC! She is professional, thoughtful, proactive, detail oriented, reasonably patient, and has a great sense of humor! She is well loved on this unit and is very missed on her days off!”

Congratulations also to the seven other nominees!

• Julie Bunch, 3 West 
• Linda Hartsook, 5 East 
• Alicia Morris, Mother/Baby 
• Sarah Moster, 5 South 
• Brianna Nesbitt, Emergency Department
• Terri Nowell, Interventional Radiology
• Maria Torres, 5 South