Governor appoints local nurse to state board

Home City News Governor appoints local nurse to state board
Zoll

Gov. Rick Snyder appointed Amy Zoll, director of obstetrics and women’s health at Hillsdale Community Health Center and Hillsdale alumna, to serve as one of the four new members on the Michigan Board of Nursing Aug. 13.

Zoll and the other newly appointed members will meet with the rest of the board monthly to discuss and revise what Zoll describes as “the big picture” of Michigan nursing — regulations regarding hospital standards, accreditations for nursing schools, and disciplinary actions against malpractice.

“These are great choices for the board. I am confident they will effectively assist the board in overseeing the practice of Michigan’s registered and practical nurses and nurse specialists,” Gov. Rick Snyder said in a press release.

Zoll will represent nurse midwives, a group of midlevel practitioners expected to grow in size as levels of primary care providers decrease, until her term ends in 2017.

“Obamacare has changed the game so you’re going to see less M.D.s coming out of school. We have a lot of exciting things going through the legislature right now with the midlevel and I want to be a part of that. I want to have a voice and speak for my colleagues and hopefully make some good change,” Zoll said.

Zoll first began nursing at HCHC in 1993 after she earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Hillsdale College and her associate’s degree in nursing from Jackson Community College. Over the next seven years she served as staff nurse, charge nurse, patient representative, and quality improvement coordinator in the obstetrics department.

Zoll left to become a midwife in 2000 at the urging of Chuck Bianchi, HCHC’s CEO. She earned her nurse midwife certificate from Frontier University and practiced midwifery until she was asked to rejoin HCHC as the director of obstetrics in 2011.

A chairperson from the Michigan chapter of Certified Nurse Midwives reached out to Zoll and invited her to apply for the board earlier this year.

“I was having one of those moments where I felt like, ‘Is this all there is?’ Then this email came and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what an opportunity to be a part of this great board and what they’re doing with innovative changes,’” Zoll said.

The governor’s office first expressed surprise when they reviewed Zoll’s application and learned that she was from a small town, but Zoll was thankful for the opportunity to represent Hillsdale.

“I want them to know about Hillsdale because we have made the patient our focus and safety our focus,” Zoll said. “We do things well and our statistics are phenomenal. I believe that this small town, rural community hospital has a lot to say and can help others, even the bigger places, learn how to do things well.”

Staff at HCHC are excited about what Zoll’s appointment means for their hospital.

“It’s really an honor. We’ve never had something like this before. They couldn’t have picked a better nurse,” HCHC obstetric nurse Gloria Groshko said.

Zoll is confident that she will easily transition into her new role on the board while maintaining her current responsibilities at HCHC.

“I work with amazing nurses who have been very supportive of this appointment and are willing to do whatever they have to do, because it’s about them too,” Zoll said. “I’m not representing Amy — I’m representing nursing and the community.”

Zoll is grateful for the opportunities she’s been given at HCHC that prepared her to serve on the board.

“I knew very early what my profession would be, but I did not know that it would take me where it has,” Zoll said. “I feel fortunate to be a part of HCHC.”