(New Orleans)-Loyola graduate student Joe Rooks was recently honored at the 20th annual celebration of the Great 100 Nurses of Louisiana. The event was organized to recognize nurses who dedicated their time and energy through Hurricane Katrina and have continued to help in the recover efforts in South Louisiana.

Rooks moved to New Orleans in 2001 and is the assistant director of nursing at Lambeth House. He completed his degree in nursing from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in medical management at Loyola.

During Hurricane Katrina, he refused to leave his patients behind. The Batesville Daily Guard recently published an article on Rooks and his award. In it, Rooks explains that his patients had to come first. In the days following the storm, Rooks took extreme measures to make sure his patients were brought to safety, and that none of his patients were injured or lost during the ordeal.

Each year the Great 100 Nurses Foundation seeks nurse nominations by nurses’ patients and peers based on their outstanding contributions to the nursing profession and their concerns for humanity. The program was started in Louisiana in 1986. Rooks was nominated by one of his co-workers, Jenny Schexnarldie.

To read more about Rooks and his accomplishments, please visit http://www.guardonline.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=37098&format=html