“They just don’t make them like her anymore,” gushed a colleague about Patricia Bush. An administrator at Haskell County Nursing Center, Bush has gone above and beyond in the eyes of those around her.

When she took the position of director of nursing at Stigler, OK-based Haskell, she inherited a facility with two Immediate Jeopardy citations, 17 deficiencies and an unruly staff. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Bush, essentially all deficiencies were resolved within the year, and she has brought the facility to one of the highest ranked facilities in the area.

Her passion for healthcare began early. When she was a girl, she came to help her mom who worked at the hospital, according to colleague Barba Cobble, the director of nursing at Haskell. At age 18, Bush became an LPN at a local rural hospital, where she worked for 10 years before advancing to become an RN.

Taking the role of director of nursing at Haskell and then administrator, she has worked to support staff, promote positivity and start new initiatives.

For example, Bush implemented a store in her facility fueled by donations from the community. The store gives the residents independence to shop for necessities, gifts or other items. A reward system in which residents can earn “bingo bucks” by participating in activities or doing simple tasks on their own is part of the concept. By doing this, Bush has given residents the dignity and independence they deserve, increasing their quality of life.

“She truly is the mother of our facility,” Cobble said. “She is a one in a million nurse as well as a one in a million administrator.” 

Bush has had many troubled employees who have histories of drug abuse, are single mothers or are struggling to make ends meet. She takes each one of her staff members individually and helps them, teaches them and supports them.

She fervently supports community involvement and educating, allowing CNAs to start in her facility at age 16 so that she can help teach and encourage them to become the best healthcare worker they can be.

In addition to running the nursing facility, Bush is a mother of six. As of this writing, she was expecting No. 7.