Judi Winchester was nominated to be recognized as a Healthcare Hero shortly before she passed away on May 30, 2021. Her obituary reads “she gave her heart and soul to being a hospice nurse.”
As an RN with a certification in hospice, she had worked tirelessly for almost 25 years in Okeechobee to make sure that all individuals in the community had access to quality hospice care. She trained and managed the staff to become hospice certified and reached out to families and provided them the information, care and support needed at such a difficult time in peoples’ lives.
Judi was nominated for this honor by Gail Gerntrup, Executive Director of Hospice of Okeechobee, Inc. In the nomination, Gail says Judi believed in putting the patient first and making sure the Hospice House in Okeechobee was always a warm, caring place where people knew that would be where to go to be cared for when the time comes. She trained lots of people to be able to do the hard job and say the hard words with a lot of love and care.
“Ask anyone in Okeechobee if they know Miss Judi at Hospice of Okeechobee,” the nomination reads, “and most will say yes, that she has touched their lives and they will never forget her honesty and caring truth.”
We recognize Judi Winchester as this month’s Healthcare Hero posthumously. Our condolences to her family, friends, and the staff of Hospice of Okeechobee.
