Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Dyer: Loving and Patient Care Earns Nurse Kudos from Coworkers

Franciscan-St-Margaret-Health-Dyer-Loving- and-Patient-Care-Earns-Nurse-Kudos-from-CoworkersAnnette Wieg, of Munster, left, a 25-year nurse in the Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Hammond Medical-Surgical unit, happily and gratefully accepts the hospital’s annual St. Margaret of Cortona Award for excellence in her field from Linda Kraiko, interim chief nursing officer, during a packed celebration on Aug. 24. Among numerous attributes, nominators said Wieg, “always wears a smile, is smart, caring and patient, works very had to take care of patients, has an exceptional bedside manner and always is willing to help coworkers – a joy to work with.”

Also among them, “If I ever were a patient, I would want her to be my nurse.” Wieg said she was surprised to receive the honor. “I can’t believe it, I know so many people who are deserving of this.” Her philosophy of care, she said, is “to treat everyone as my own, listen to my heart and my patients and do the best for them.” The award is named for St. Margaret of Cortona, who joined the Third Order of St. Francis in the 1200s and chose to live in poverty. She founded a hospital for the homeless and impoverished in the city of Cortona, Italy and pledged her life to serving God through the hospital. She was canonized on May 16, 1728.