Nurses are the backbone of our health care system. From lending an empathetic ear to administering medications to sitting with us when it feels like the world is falling down around us, they are there—making us feel human while seeming superhuman themselves. The nurses within these pages are the ones you nominated for their lasting influence, and they are truly the champions of our West Virginia centers of care. Read their stories, discover what inspires them, and be inspired yourself.

Rhonda Parker

DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC Barbour Behavioral Health Specialty: Psychiatric nursing

When Rhonda Parker was a teenager, her great-grandfather developed dementia. “It was such a shock and so difficult for my family to see someone have such drastic changes,” she says. “The disease itself intrigued me. The ways to handle it and the ways to work with him all interested me.” As her college years approached, the decision to pursue nursing solidified. “Just knowing that you can make such a difference in somebody’s life—that was important to me.”

Parker now has more than two decades’ experience in the field, largely in psychiatric nursing. She’s also trauma-trained, EMDRtrained, and psychedelic-assisted therapies–trained and holds a doctoral degree. She loves helping patients take control over their physical and mental health and seeing “the lights come on” when someone is able to solve a problem. The role has also been beneficial to her on a personal level: She had a difficult childhood and learned not to trust people. Her work has helped her with that. “I always say it gave me my humanity, because it showed me how I could love other people without getting hurt,” she says. “I was able to give and not have to worry about what I’d receive.”

Parker watches the development of the field of psychedelicassisted therapy and believes there is much to be gained by studying its potential benefits and increasing accessibility. She is starting her own practice—Mountain Healing—opening this spring and targeted at nurses, mental health professionals, and first responders. These folks are often at risk of leaving their fields because of the grueling nature of the work, she says. “If we don’t take care of ourselves and we don’t learn the best strategies to take care of ourselves, then we’re just going to keep losing people.”

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