Pima County Health Department nurse makes '50 Fabulous' list | Community Spirit

A nurse manager with the Pima County Health Department has just been selected as one of the ‘Fabulous 50 Nurses’ for 2013.

Debbie Weber, a nurse at the PCHD South Office, was selected by the Tucson Nurses Week Foundation.  These awards are presented annually to Registered Nurses in and around Tucson, who have been nominated by their peers, for a commitment to improving patient care or enhancing nursing practices.

“Debbie serves as an excellent mentor for staff and students,” says her nominator Kathy Malkin, Manager of Community Health Services at the Health Department and a previous Fabulous 50 award winner, in a recent news release. “Her staff consistently comes up with innovative ideas to provide services and Debbie encourages them to think outside the box.”

She has worked as a nurse manager for the PCHD for four years, and initiated the development of a referral system, that uses the web.  Weber has also provided leadership in determining technology needs for staff, as well as taking on a lead role in implementing the Public Health/Library Nurse project, a first of its kind in the nation.

Weber also serves as a liaison between the PCHD and the Pima County Public Library in implementing the innovative program, which has provided more than 3,000 nursing interventions during its first year. The program allows Public Health Nurses to provide free health and wellness services to library patrons, many of which are without insurance or primary care.

Weber joins a long list of current and previous Pima County Public Health Nurses who have been selected for the Fabulous 50 award. She will be honored at a gala event on May 11 for all 50 Fabulous Nurses.