Nurse manager in Waukesha presented with $5K check, honored as 'health care hero'

WAUKESHA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The health care system in and around Milwaukee is filled with heroes, especially now, during the pandemic.

On Thursday, Oct. 7, one local hero was singled out for what she does, and CBS 58 was there.

Her name is Heidi Boyke, and she's a nurse manager at the GI Associates Endoscopy Center in Waukesha. 

She was saluted Thursday, as a "health care hero" by ImageFIRST, the company that provides linens and PPE for her clinic. 

Boyke was presented with a check for $5,000 and a supply of protective equipment. 

GI Associates focuses on its patients' digestive systems, but Boyke says during the pandemic, her nurses have had to spend a lot of their time keeping the place sanitized. 

"Monthly rounds, daily rounds, just -- we're cleaning constantly," Boyke said. "We had to do some Covid swabbing that we were doing for all of our patients for about nine months. We've stopped that now, but you never know, we're playing it day by day."

"On top of taking care of her patients, she pays attention to all the needs of her team, everyone here," said Jenni Holman of ImageFIRST. "And she also provides really insightful, helpful feedback for our team to continue to provide what they need."

Heidi Boyke won her health care hero honors after a nationwide vote. 

She says with her check, she can now get lunch for her staff, because they've all worked so hard.