Cashwell Named 2023 Baker Nurse of Excellence
Emergency Services RN Iris Cashwell, of Lumberton, was named UNC Health Southeastern’s 2023 Baker Nurse of Excellence during a ceremony hosted May 9 by the organization’s Professional Growth Council as part of National Nurses Week.
Cashwell has practiced nursing for the past 25 years. Before obtaining her associates degree in nursing from Southeastern Community College, she was a volunteer EMT with Tar Heel Rescue Squad.
Cashwell wanted to become a nurse to do more for her patients. Her co-workers say she is an amazing nurse that wears many hats. She doesn’t mind assisting with anything from social work to housekeeping. She has a special ability to handle stress during sad and even traumatic situations, but also draws strength from the outcomes that can and do happen in her role as a nurse. She is empathetic, compassionate, and provides comfort to all of her patients.
In addition to Cashwell, the other 2023 finalist nominees were: RN Jennifer Meyers (Labor/Delivery), LPN Cearrow Hooper (WoodHaven), and RN Chelsi Cherry (NICU). The winner was selected by a panel based on nomination applications submitted by peers as well as interviews.
The Baker Nurse of Excellence Award was established in 2014 through an endowed gift by Stephanie and Wil Bass of Clayton, NC. The award is named in honor of Stephanie’s late grandparents, Dr. Horace Baker, Jr., a surgeon who was a member of the medical staff at Southeastern Regional Medical Center, and his wife Dorothy, a former Army nurse. Dr. Horace Baker Sr., Bass’ great-grandfather, was founder of the Baker Sanatorium in 1921 which later merged with Thompson Hospital to form what was known as the Baker-Thompson Memorial Hospital in Lumberton in 1946. These two older facilities were replaced by a new hospital known as Robeson County Memorial Hospital in 1953 which later became UNC Health Southeastern.
Past Baker winners are: Christopher Minton, 2022; Samela "Dee" Prevatte, 2021; Tess McNeill, 2020; Don “Jake” Jacobs, 2019; Deborah Peterson, 2018; Sharon Smith, 2017; Cynthia Kinlaw, 2016; Tammy McDuffie, 2015; Elizabeth Moore, 2014; and Melissa Britt, 2013.
