Dempsey named top nurse

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
Kristi Dempsey didn't know what to think when she saw her parents and in-laws at Country Cottage Assisted Living Tuesday night.
It didn't taker her long to find out.
Dempsey was named 2008 Franklin County Nurse of the Year during a ceremony there last night.
"I was completely surprised," said Dempsey, who has been a nurse for 10 years.
She has spent the last two years as school nurse at Red Bay.
"I love my job," she said. "I love helping kids any way that I can."
The Nurse of the Year program was implemented by Country Cottage four years ago as a way to honor the nurses of the county.
"It's a way to honor and recognize our nurses who do so much for the people of Franklin County," said Country Cottage managing director Betty Chesnut.
Dempsey was chosen Nurse of the Year by a panel of community leaders. She was one of 37 nominees for the award.
"She does a broad spectrum of things – from giving a band-aid to helping families find insurance," Chesnut said.
Dempsey, a mother of four who is married to Circuit Judge Terry Dempsey, worked as a pediatric nurse at ECM Hospital for eight years before going to work at Red Bay.
"I get to know these kids and their families," she said. "That's what I love so much about my job. I get to know them on a personal level. Sometimes that even means going to their homes after school to help with something.
"I want to thank my husband for supporting me through the years and the Red Bay faculty an staff who are so great to work with."