Cathie Storey Named SC Nurse Administrator of the Year
Cathie Storey, GCS Coordinator of Health Services, has been named South Carolina Nurse Administrator of the Year by SCDHEC and the State Department of Education.
Nurse Storey coordinates health services for more than 90 schools and supervises 150 school nurses who provide services to Greenville County Schools’ 76,000 students. Under her leadership, the district has achieved the national average of one nurse for every 750 students. She played an integral role in securing a much-needed pay increase for nurses, and two years ago she hired four float nurses to help cover schools when nurses are absent.
“Our nurses work in an environment that’s like an emergency room with no doctor,” she said. “That is why we look for someone who can react quickly and calmly in a serious situation.”
One of her greatest contributions to school nurses is the implementation of Health Office, a computer program that allows nurses to manage information and to document student illnesses safely, confidently, and quickly.
Sevier Middle School Nurse Linda Waters said, “When I came to work here we were using index cards and pencils to record student information. Using Health Office frees up time that we can spend treating the children.”
Storey has also made it possible for nurses to receive required Continuing Education Units, or CEUs, at little or no cost so they are better prepared to meet the increasing health needs of students. She coordinates educational offerings specific to school nursing and oversees the orientation of all new school nurses. “Continuing education is very important for a school nurse,” said Storey. “They need courses to keep their license and to learn about new trends. That’s why I pay for them to attend courses through the Upstate Area Health Education Center (AHEC).”
Nurse Storey is a member of numerous health-related community committees and councils including LiveWell Greenville and Greenville Forward. She has served on the Nursing Advisory Board for Greenville Technical College and collaborated with the University of North Carolina and SCDHEC to write grant proposals to develop programs for elementary students with obesity.
Cathie Storey earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Clemson University.