The Rotary Club of Edina recently presented Diane Osborne with its 2023 Chrysanne Manoles Women In Leadership Award.Osborne is the Nurse Manager of the Intensive Care Unit at Fairview Southdale Hospital. When she was hired in 2016, there was no formal program in place to honor organ donors or their families. In her first year, the Fairview Southdale ICU cared for two organ donors who went on to save three lives. By 2018, they had five donors who saved 12 lives. Many more details follow in "Read More"
As Fairview Southdale’s donor numbers began to increase, it became apparent to Osborne that the hospital needed to do something more to support the families of donors and more to honor the life-saving gifts being given. She pulled together a group including a chaplain, representative of Life Source and other hospital staff and shared the idea of having the donor flag raised on the hospital flagpole in honor of a donor while they were in the operating room giving the gift of life. Then, all who passed by the busy intersection of Minnesota Highway 62 and France Avenue would see the flag and know someone was giving that gift. The chaplain agreed to put together a short non-denominational program to be conducted at the flagpole with family and friends present and the security team agreed to raise the flag each time. Today, there is also an “Honor Walk” for the donor. When the time comes for the donor to travel to the operating room for the actual donation, all staff present in the ICU line the hallway in silent tribute as the patient is wheeled by in their bed.
April is “National Donate Life Month.” The Donate Life flag flies outside of the hospital the entire month of April. In the first week of the month, Osborne’s team holds a special “Donate Life” ceremony, inviting families and friends to join them as they again thank donors and honor their families. Organ donor recipients speak to the group, tell their health stories, so the families can see the positive results of organ donation. They gather at the flagpole and read each donor name from the previous year, with a moment of silence for each.
2022 was a record year for donation at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital. They cared for nine organ donors who went on to save 21 lives.
“Diane is a selfless leader who has a great passion for excellent nursing care. Her passion for excellence and nursing leadership has driven a culture of excellence and quality care of her team. Her team commonly calls out her inclusiveness, kindness and patience as desirable attributes as their leader,” said one of her award nominators, Joe Knowles, M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital Nursing Director. “Diane and her team annually prepare a Donate Life Event to honor all the patients and families who have decided to donate their organs to save others at the end of their lives. This event allows the hospital teams and community to highlight the importance and need for organ donation and how the healthcare team will support the decision either way.”
For winning the 2023 Chrysanne Manoles Women in Leadership Award, Osborne received flowers, a plaque and a Paul Harris Fellowship from the Rotary Club of Edina.
“I am honored, proud and humbled to receive this award as it highlights the work being done not only by me, but by the entire staff in the Intensive Care Unit of Fairview Southdale Hospital,” Osborne said. “We have the privilege of supporting patients and their families during the most vulnerable time of their lives. I am very fortunate as I have always known that I wanted to be a nurse and I have had the chance to live out my true passion every day. I get to see the impact that my work has on a day-to-day basis, and I get to inspire the next generation of new nurses in my role as Nurse Manager.”
Reflecting society in 1905, the Rotary organization was limited to male members and remained so officially until 1989, when the Council on Legislation, Rotary’s parliament, voted to eliminate the male-only provision, opening up membership to qualified women across the world. However, the forward-thinking Rotary Club of Edina welcomed its first female member, Chrysanne Manoles, a year earlier in 1988. Manoles continues to be active in Rotary.
In Manoles’ honor and to celebrate the work of women in the community, the Rotary Club of Edina established an annual women’s leadership award in 2008. Previous winners include Ann Byrne, Kim Foote, Lexi Reed Holtum, Kris Marshall, Laura Hope Melton, Lauren Morse-Wendt, Betsey Nimmo, Kathy Rendleman, Dr. Terrie Rose, Ann Swenson, Katey Taylor, Donna Tilsner, Ruth Valgemae, Dr. Laurel Wills, Melody Zhou and Betsy Nimmo.
For more information about the Chrysanne Manoles Women In Leadership Award, contact club Past President Jennifer Bennerotte, 612-201-3467 or jbennerotte@EdinaRotary.org.