September 20, 2022 – Regina Parish, a licensed vocational nurse at Palestine Regional Medical Center in Palestine, Texas, is retiring after more than 45 years with the hospital, according to a report from Becker’s Hospital Review.
Parish joined the hospital in 1979 as a nurse on the surgical floor, before transferring to a discharge planning position in 1986. She transferred to case management when Palestine’s two hospitals merged to become Palestine Regional Medical Center in 2000, and she’s been in that role ever since.
“Back in the old days, when there weren’t as many resources for patients, she and her peers would all pitch in $1 every payday and then that would be their fund to help purchase medications for patients who didn’t have the money,” Tracy Marchky, BSN, RN, the hospital’s chief nursing officer, told Becker’s. “And to this day, Regina often pays patients’ utility bills or helps them buy medication when they can’t afford it.”
Parish is known for building strong connections with the patients and family members in her care, supporting them during the hardest parts of their lives. She attributes her long tenure at the hospital to her colleagues and an approachable leadership team.
“Nursing is about having love in your heart. To be successful in the long run in nursing, you must make a commitment and be grounded in something,” Parish said.