Midwife and nurse has dedicated career to helping moms

Yvonne Collett, R.N., is no stranger to helping new moms bring life into this world. For each new mom she helps she plays a special role and her peers have recognized her as one of the best nurses in the area.

The Dallas resident has been named to the annual list of the Metroplex’s Great 100 Nurses, which is sponsored by the Texas Nurses Association and the North Texas Organization of Nurse Executives. The awards honor registered nurses in the D/FW area who exemplify excellence in the art and science of nursing.  Nurses are nominated by their peers, and may only be named to the list once in their career.

For Collett, she remembers always wanting to be a nurse, but really making the decision as a teenager when she volunteered at a hospital in her native England. After training as a registered nurse and midwife, she moved to the U.S. and has lived in North Texas ever since.

Nurse found her calling in women's services

Angelle Kolle, R.N., isn’t one that found her path to nursing at an early age. Instead she got into nursing when her children were adults. But she hasn’t slowed down since and her peers have noticed.

The Eagle Mountain Lake resident has been named to the annual list of the Metroplex’s Great 100 Nurses, which is sponsored by the Texas Nurses Association and the North Texas Organization of Nurse Executives. The awards honor registered nurses in the D/FW area who exemplify excellence in the art and science of nursing.  Nurses are nominated by their peers, and may only be named to the list once in their career.

Kolle recalls what drew her into nursing.

“What gets me excited is learning about my patients and helping them whether they are a pregnant mom or a woman who has been recently diagnosed with cancer,” she said. “Being able to be a comfort and a source of strength for my patients is what gets me to work with a smile each day.”

Kolle currently is women’s services nurse at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford. Her coworkers and hospital leaders agree that Kolle has found her calling.

“The Great 100 Nurses are the best of the best,” said Deborah Paganelli, FACHE, hospital president. “Our nurses set a high standard for each other, an example of excellence that is made up of hard work and dedication for every patient, every day. I am proud that their work was recognized among the best in our region.”

Kolle’s contributions to the Women’s Services area at Texas Health HEB have been numerous. In recent years, Kolle has championed a program called “Mommies in Waiting,” which brings together moms-to-be who are in the hospital on bed rest for crafts and other activities to help pass the time. The program helps to ease what is a difficult, and often scary, time for families. She also is dedicated to helping women with gestational diabetes and has created educational programs for Texas Health HEB employees on the topic.

“Her precise clinical skills combined with a ‘heart’ for caring for those in need, truly exemplifies the art and science of nursing,” one nominator wrote. “When patients and peers think of her, they see an excellent nurse, good friend, an encourager, and a valuable colleague to have at their side.”

Women's center gets a facelift

If you've visited the Women's Services area at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford recently you've noticed we've been hard at work updating the rooms for our new moms.

We’re happy to report that many aspects of the Women's Services renovation are completed. About half of the labor and delivery rooms are finished with the remainder being finished throughout the summer. More than two-thirds of our postpartum rooms are complete and new furniture is arriving weekly. 

We've created a new registration area so Moms can stay in our Women’s services wing. And the lobby also has been spruced up. 

"We are so pleased with the reactions our patients have to the new rooms and are looking forward to having the project completed later this year," said Mary Lou Wilson, director of Women's Services at Texas Health HEB.

We'll share more photos as the project continues to be completed, but in the meantime here are a few photos of the new labor & delivery rooms.

For more information on Women's Services at Texas Health HEB, click here. For more resources for Moms from Texas Health you can also visit Texas Health Moms.