A rich history of volunteerism and passion for the Northern Kentucky community are something that St. Elizabeth Healthcare and volunteer Joan Wurtenberger have in common. Inspired by her mother-in-law’s decades of community service, Joan Wurtenberger has volunteered for St. Elizabeth Health for more than 20 years.
“My husband’s mother – also Joan Wurtenberger – was a pediatric nurse in Northern Kentucky and gave thousands of hours to our community,” said Wurtenberger. “I’ve always admired her and the difference she made to a lot of people.”
Wurtenberger received the St. Elizabeth Healthcare Henrietta Cleveland Inspiring Women Award at the Outstanding Women of Northern Kentucky Awards Luncheon at the St. Elizabeth Training and Education Center.
“Joan is a strong role model for our community,” said Sarah Giolando, senior vice president and chief strategy officer at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “She demonstrates the same values as our founder, Henrietta Cleveland, and embraces life with value and purpose.”
Wurtenberger started volunteering for the St. Elizabeth Foundation in 1991 after meeting several administrators and staff during a project with her employer, Champlin Architecture.
“John Domaschko was the president of the foundation at the time, and he and Joe Gross, former president and CEO of St. Elizabeth Healthcare, approached me with the opportunity to join the board of trustees,” said Wurtenberger. “I came to understand the system’s mission through volunteering, which lead to serving on the Board for more than 10 years.”
As a member of the board of trustees for the health care system, Wurtenberger saw dramatic changes in how services were delivered to patients, including the merger with St. Luke Hospitals and the launch of Epic, a state-of-the-art electronic health record system.
Dr. Heidi Murley, a physician with St. Elizabeth Physicians, said her time with Wurtenberger on the board of trustees was an inspiration. “I was immediately impressed by Joan’s energy, knowledge of our service area and unwavering commitment to improve the health of our Northern Kentucky community,” said Murley. “She’s a wonderful example of a professional woman volunteering her valuable time to further the mission of St. Elizabeth Healthcare.”
Wurtenberger is a registered architect and has been an owner and senior principal at Champlin Architecture for 35 years. She is married to David Wurtenberger and they have two daughters, Emily, an attorney, and Kate, a pediatric nurse.
She still serves on the executive committee of the foundation and the Samaritan committee. “When the St. Elizabeth Foundation began, the focus was on ‘friend-raising’ not fundraising,” said Wurtenberger. “That worked well in the past and still remains a strong theme as neighbors pull together for a healthier community.”
From St. Elizabeth Healthcare