National Nurses Week: Cindy Keeney

It’s #NationalNursesWeek and today we are recognizing Cindy Keeney, a valued member of our Disaster Health Services (DHS) team. Cindy started her nursing journey as an intensive care nurse in the Emergency Room. She then went to work for the Kentucky state hospital association. There, she began writing a grant to improve end of life care. “The University of Louisville School of Medicine didn’t want the work to end,” said Cindy. “They decided to roll it over into an initiative with the School of Public Health and the medical school. I helped them start the program.”

Photos courtesy Cindy Keeney

Cindy did end of life care research and eventually began creating health care apps for patients with chronic diseases. “It’s so the patients can recover and transition from an acute care bed to being at home… I wrote algorithms into telehealth devices, and it would assess the patient daily. It would attach biometrics that could let them know ‘take an extra water pill,” said Cindy. “It catches health concerns before they become a problem. It keeps them in a stable place of health and wellness.”

Her work then became international, helping a mental health organization in Europe improve the health and well being of citizens. Now Cindy is teaching Health Services courses at Ivy Tech Community College and is a Clark County health department contract nurse. Cindy has been volunteering with us for 6 years. “I’m the co-lead for Disaster Health Services and I train all the new Health Services workers,” she said.

Cindy assists the Red Cross West Virginia Region as well. “Some people ask why I work with the Integrated Care Condolence Team (ICCT) as they feel it’s depressing, but it’s not really. It’s all an extension of my nursing. It’s not a job it’s a calling. Helping people in their most vulnerable state. To help them get back on their feet and feel like they can move forward is incredibly rewarding,” said Cindy.

Her favorite memory is helping a Veteran in the Harlan, Kentucky floods in 2020. “He had lost a leg in service and had a prosthetic. He was staying in a metal shed. The shed door didn’t close all the way. He was staying there and had lost his CPAP machine and prosthetic leg,” reflected Cindy.

Over time, his prosthetic leg was replaced, and he had a roof over his head. “The University of Kentucky helped us contact the makers of the prosthetic leg. They gave him the replacement at no charge,” said Cindy. “Someone the man knew needed work around her house and she ended up giving him room and board. We got his CPAP machine replaced… by the end, he was so grateful.”

Thank you, Cindy, for sharing your story and being a member of our DHS team!