Wayne County nurse practicing for seven decades receives DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award

Nancy Upchurch is Reid Health's first recipient of a DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary longevity in nursing and unwavering commitment to the well-being of her patients and community.

The Hagerstown native was presented with the lifetime award during a surprise celebration on her 90th birthday held July 24.

An active registered nurse for nearly seven decades, Upchurch is a 1956 graduate of the Reid Memorial School of Nursing and one of its last surviving alumni. She renewed her nursing license again just this October and works mostly part-time giving immunizations for Well Care Community Health in Richmond.

Turning 90 years old should've been a quiet day for Upchurch, but her family made other plans.

"I'm a private person and I begged my children for no party or anything. I thought I had that made," Upchurch said.

A grandson arranged to pick her up for lunch the Sunday after her birthday, but when they arrived at Wilie and Red's, she found a room full of familiar people.

The surprise luncheon was organized by her sons — David, Steven, and Jeff — and included her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family, and friends.

Also attending were Misti Foust-Cofield, Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer at Reid Health, and Jason Troutwine, Vice President/Reid Health Foundation President, to present Upchurch with a certificate and a hand-carved sculpture known as The Healer's Touch, symbolizing the meaningful difference nurses make in the lives of others.

The DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award is a national recognition created by the DAISY Foundation for nurses who have dedicated their lives to compassionate, expert care.

Foust-Cofield said it's an honor to recognize Upchurch's influence on nursing and community health.

"It's a privilege for Reid to help honor Nancy's legacy through the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award," Foust-Cofield said.

"Nancy's dedication to nursing and her commitment to improving health in Wayne County reflect the very best of what it means to be part of the Reid family." -- Misti Foust-Cofield, Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer at Reid Health

Troutwine said Upchurch has carried the lessons she learned as a nursing student throughout her career.

"Nancy's leadership and compassion have helped to shape healthcare in Wayne County for decades," he said.

"Honoring her with the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award is a meaningful way to recognize the lasting impact she continues to make through her mentorship and dedication to nursing."

Upchurch first worked at Reid Memorial Hospital as a nurse's aide while a junior in high school. A 1952 graduate of Hagerstown High School, she earned a Perfect Circle Dana Scholarship attended Reid Memorial School of Nursing and Earlham College.

At Reid, Upchurch remembered rooming on the first floor of the women's ward in Jenkins Hall with her nursing classmates. The three-year program included rotations at Cincinnati Children's Hospital for pediatrics and at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Chicago for psychiatric care. Reid ended its nursing program in 1958.

After finishing her training, Upchurch married her high school sweetheart, William E. "Ernie" Upchurch, who was finishing veterinary school at Kansas State University. She worked in the university's infirmary while he completed his degree.

When the couple returned to Indiana, they established Greens Fork Animal Hospital in 1970.

"I went to the dogs," Upchurch said. "I worked for my husband, gave anesthetics and medications to cats and dogs, and worked 24/7 for him."

The couple raised four children: three sons and a daughter, Elizabeth Schauss, who passed away in May 2018 following a year-long battle with ovarian carcinosarcoma.

They worked side-by-side until Ernie's passing in 1997. Afterward, Upchurch began volunteering at Whitewater Valley Eye Center and later joined the staff as a recovery nurse at age 62.

She went on to work for the Wayne County Health Department, providing flu shots and vaccinations as part of the "flu crew," including during the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 2009.

"We got over H1N1 and the health department kept me. I've worked in vaccinations there ever since," Upchurch said.

Today, she gives immunizations and helps care for underserved residents of Wayne County at Well Care Community Health.

"I just love it," she said. "I love taking care of children, the babies, and helping prevent disease."

One of the most memorable moments in her career came as a senior nursing student when she helped give the polio vaccine to children during its initial rollout in 1955.

"It was the best day of my nursing career," she said. "We had iron lungs here at Reid. In the summer, they would close the pools because people had polio. When the vaccine came out, it was wonderful.

"The worst day was the day of the downtown explosion."

Upchurch vividly remembers April 6, 1968, when Richmond's double explosion, originating from a natural gas leak under a downtown sporting goods store, killed 41 people and injured more than 150 others.

"There were two emergency rooms when that happened, if you can imagine. Forty-one people and we had them all here. It was a very bad day," she said.

Upchurch reflected on the many changes she's seen in nursing over the years — from technology to charting and dress codes, which have changed from the crisp white uniforms and hats to the teal scrubs she now wears.

One thing that hasn't changed is the importance of empathy, she said.

"We have to be empathetic and not sympathetic, and that's very hard to do," Upchurch said. "We learned that in school about empathy. It helps support people in a lot of ways."

During her nearly 70-year nursing career, she's served in hospitals, clinics, and community programs. Her dedication has inspired generations of nurses through her experience, mentorship, resilience, and compassion.

"Caring for people. It's just been my lifetime reward." - Nancy Upchurch