St. Anthony Regional Hospital is pleased to announce that Sandy Cayler, the outpatient mental health director, is the recipient of the “100 Great Iowa Nurses” award. Cayler is the sixth St. Anthony nurse to receive this distinction. “Sandy has made a significant contribution to nursing through her pursuit of excellence in patient care,” said Karen Timm, vice president of patient services. “Her work has impacted the lives of people across the state as she has responded to the challenges of maintaining continuity of patient services in the face of a shortage of mental health providers.” Timm added that Cayler is an inspiration to not only those she cares for, but those she works with as well. Cayler, who was born and raised in Carroll, has been with St. Anthony for 30 years. During her time there, she has served on the medical-surgical floor and in home care before joining the mental health services team in the 1990s and becoming inpatient mental health director in 2000. She moved into her current role in 2014. “I feel incredibly honored to be named one of the ‘100 Great Iowa Nurses’ and to be recognized among the ranks of my colleagues,” Cayler said. “I went into the profession to help people, and that’s exactly why I’m going back to school—to provide stability and to help those who can’t find help elsewhere.” Cayler will be recognized in a special ceremony at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines on May 7. Previous St. Anthony award recipients include: Pat Hogan; Darlene Rueter; Katie Towers; Cheri Theulen; and Tammy Roetman.
