From fighting fires to fighting for patients

Firefighters and emergency medical services know the importance of staying on top of the situation. After all, an unattended spark could result in a life-threatening inferno.

IU Health Bloomington resource nurse Gretchen Gallion, RN, started her career caring for others in EMS and as a firefighter before moving into nursing. Over more than 25 years as a nurse, she has dedicated herself to watching for those tiny sparks that could mean something more significant.

“I always try to be in the room prior to my patients leaving the floor for procedures,” says detail-oriented Gallion. “I don’t miss much.”

And this has proven to be a great safety net for her patients.

In fact, Gallion recently received the first 2023 Great Catch Award* the IU Health South Central Region. You can see her with IU Health leaders and clinical risk team members** in the photo above of the award presentation.

Gallion’s dedication to excellence is much more than what she claims to be just doing her job. Noticing those small things can mean the world to patients and their loved ones.

*Great Catches are identified through incident reporting. By reporting a potential safety concern before it reaches a patient, team members prevent harm and keep patients safe. If you make a Great Catch or witness a team member making a Great Catch, please enter an incident report with a description of the situation.

**Photo, l-r: Hillary Webb, RN; Jeremy Simpson (Patient Relations Consultant); Gretchen Gallion, RN; Anjanette Radford (SCR Manager of Corporate Affairs); Sarah Cummings (Clinical Risk Consultant); Lisa Aldridge, RN (Director of Nursing Operations); Cara Baker, RN (SCR Manager, Nursing Resource Center); John Sparzo, MD (SCR Chief Medical Officer).