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Tyler, Texas (February 14, 2019) Rebekah Hill, RN, with UT Health Rehabilitation Hospital, was selected by the UT Health East Texas Healthcare System as a DAISY Award winner.

As part of the DAISY Foundation’s program, the award recognizes nurses who go above and beyond when providing care for their patients. Nurses are nominated by anyone who sees an act of extraordinary care and then selected by a hospital nursing committee quarterly.

Hill received a primary nomination from co-worker and fellow nurse Cassie Kirkley.

“She’s a wonderful asset to this organization,”...

Athens resident Meagan Sims remembers what it felt like as a young girl to be hospitalized and scared at Christmas, but she recalls it fondly because of the generosity of others.

“While I was there it was so wonderful because these different people would come in at different times and drop off gifts. One time, I woke up and looked down and there was a stuffed animal tucked under my arm, another time it was a coloring book,” Sims said. “It meant so much to me then that someone thought about me at Christmas when I couldn’t be home with my own tree.”

After more than 50 years working for the hospital, now known as UT Health Tyler, Julia Bell is now retiring but she has no plans of slowing down.

Bell started at the hospital in November 1964 as a nurse aid and later moved into in laundry services, where she spent the majority of her career. She retired last Friday as Director of Laundry Services.

“There’s been a lot of changes because when I first came it was just two floors,” Bell said. “I’ve seen it grow and grow and grow.”

Bell, 76, is used to working hard. The mother of eight routinely rises at 4 a.m. and is no...

UT Health East Texas Air 1, with a 33-year-old history of safe flights, avoided a collision with a drone this week after dropping off a patient at a Dallas hospital.

“We had received information from the Love Field tower about other aircraft in the area and ten seconds later a drone appears in our flight path and I had to bank to the right to avoid a collision,” said UT Health East Texas Air 1 pilot Clint Burleson. Flight medic Charles Cooper and flight nurse Celie Pyle were also on board. Burleson has been flying helicopters for over 15 years including in the military.

“...