Nurse leaves hospital after long tenure

• Longtime RFAH nurse retires

Pictured with nurse Laura Webster (middle), who is leaving the River Falls Area Hospital after 33 years, is nurse Amy Cernohous (left), and Amanda Harrington (right). A going away party was held on Tuesday, June 12, for Webster. Submitted photo

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After 33 years of providing nursing care to patients at River Falls Area Hospital, nurse Laura Webster is leaving River Falls to relocate closer to her family in the Madison area.

The hospital celebrated her service Tuesday, June 12, with a going away celebration for patients and staff to wish her well on the next adventure in her life.

During Webster’s tenure at the hospital, she has cared for thousands of patients in various areas of the hospital including the Special Care Unit, Emergency Department, and most recently the Rivers Cancer Center and Infusion Center -- she even transported the first patient into the new hospital in 1992.

“She is respected by her nursing and medical staff colleagues not only for her clinical knowledge and wealth of experience, but mostly for her sincere kindness, patience, and caring for all those around her,” stated Mary Huepfl, RN and nursing manager.

Webster, known for her positive and encouraging words to both employees and staff used phrases such as: “You can do this” when working with a new nurse or apprehensive patient, and “Just a little piece of chocolate would be good now” when things get a little tense.

Webster’s legacy will live on at River Falls in the many staffmembers she has mentored over the decades. “If Laura did not orient you, she oriented the nurse that did orient you,” stated Amy Cernohous, RN, Care Coordinator at the Rivers Cancer Center. “Laura will be missed.”

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