Gritman’s own health hero

Colleen Cochran first started working in the Gritman Medical Center pharmacy in 2014 when she and her husband moved to the Palouse to be closer to their grandchildren in Pullman.

The past few years, as the hospital’s pharmacy director, Cochrane and her staff have handled the day-to-day tasks of the pharmacy as well as working to provide more 14,000 vaccines to residents across the Palouse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For her efforts, Cochran was named one of four recipients of an Idaho Rural Health Hero Award for north Idaho. The awards, given by the Idaho Rural Health Association, span the four regions of the state with multiple awardees per region.

The awards were first presented in 2019 and this is the first time a winner has been from the Palouse. The awards, presented Nov. 17 in Boise, were given in an effort to honor those who live and work in rural Idaho and dedicated to providing high-quality care to address possible barriers to care, according to the Idaho Rural Health Association.

“When I heard about the award or the potential to nominate people, (Cochrane) was the first one that came to my mind,” said Connie Osborn, chief quality officer at Gritman Medical Center.

“It was very much a shock,” Cochrane said of earning the honor. “I didn’t believe it. I thought some of my staff was teasing me.”

Cochran said she wasn’t the only one who deserved the award and providing the vaccines and day-to-day care couldn’t have been done without the whole team.

The Gritman vaccine clinics, which Cochran and others would plan and administer, grew so large Gritman would partner with the University of Idaho to hold them in the university’s rec center.

“She’s one of many that went above and beyond and I was just elated when I heard she was chosen,” Osborn said.

Cochran said Osborn would sit with patients and interview them before the vaccine administration and after to watch for any side effects.

“She just played such a key role in our response but also patient safety,” Osborn said. “We live and work and play in our communities that we serve and it’s nice to have one of our own that was recognized.”

The Idaho Rural Health Association celebrated National Rural Health Day on Nov. 17 in Boise, which coincided with its annual meeting and the award ceremony.

Lewiston’s Julie Wittman, a parent advocate and board certified behavior analyst, also received an award in the association’s north region.

For more information on the association, visit idahorha.org.

Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.