For

Immediate Release For Cherokee Media Contacts: Blake Matthews Brunner Public Relations bmatthews@brunnerworks.com 412-995-9603

LOCAL NURSE HONORED WITH NATIONAL CHEROKEE INSPIRED COMFORT AWARD Chosen for her allegiance and dutiful care towards the nations homeless Veterans LOS ANGELES (Oct. 11, 2011) Helping some of societys most vulnerable citizens achieve their dreams is what inspires Carolyn Green, RN, to deliver her best every day. As the coordinator of the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program at Overton Brooks Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Shreveport, La., Green forges strong partnerships with community organizations and nonprofits to further provide a safety net of services for her clients. Thanks to her unwavering dedication and personal commitment on behalf of the countrys homeless Veterans, Green has been selected as one of just seven recipients nationwide of the 2011 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award. The Overton Brooks VAMC Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Program offers counseling, outreach, and referral services at no cost to eligible Veterans. Since taking on a leadership role seven years ago and volunteering countless additional hours, Green has helped to elevate the success of the VAMC homeless program which went from treating 16 homeless Veterans in 2003 to more than 300 in 2010. Carolyn makes decisions and contributions that have not only exponentially improved the homeless program itself, but have also improved the overall morale of every person involved from both a patient and care provider standpoint, says Nancy Creech, a nurse recruiter at Overton Brooks VAMC and Greens nominator. She has also established herself as a community leader, frequently speaking to local service organizations in her free time in order to build and grow potential partnerships.

Her community collaboration has generated results that allow her employer to care for the clinical and psychological needs of homeless veterans more effectively and with potentially better outcomes by ensuring that their other basic needs such as food and housing are met. In one such partnership, Green helped a local nonprofit obtain a $1 million grant to provide housing for 56 working and student Veterans. Leaving nothing to chance, Green also teamed with correctional facilities to help officials create a seamless transition into community living for Veterans being prepared for release. One of Greens most celebrated accomplishments is her local leadership of the national Operation Stand Down, for which Green arranges the volunteers and donation of clothing, food, medical care and haircuts as well as social and counseling services. For the past seven years, Green has worked closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs to expand the program from a single-day-per-year event to four days annually split between two locations. In 2010 alone, the event served 1,000 homeless individuals, aided by Greens ability to marshal resources and garner community support. The Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award is granted by Cherokee Uniforms as a way of recognizing the caring and highly competent work of nurses and other non-physician healthcare professionals who provide exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation while positively impacting others lives. This is the ninth year the nations leading designer and manufacturer of healthcare apparel has honored inspirational caregivers across the country. Carolyn Green has provided a kind hand and well-deserved respect to homeless veterans in her community by giving her best and motivating others to do the same, says Wendell Mobley, who directs Cherokee Uniforms charitable and scholarship programs. Her inspiring service and genuine compassion toward others in their times of great need earned her overwhelming support from the judges. Carolyns work shows that she is very dedicated to serving Veterans who are so often forgotten unless they are deemed a hero, says Jessica Edmondson, a Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award judge and past award winner. This dedication and palpable passion for her profession certainly make her a hero as well and more than worthy of receiving this award. As a Grand Prize Winner, Green will receive an all-expense-paid Caribbean cruise for two courtesy of Cherokee Uniforms; a wardrobe featuring the best of Cherokee Uniforms and Cherokee Footwear worth more than $1,000; a Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award trophy; a 14K gold-plated commemorative pin; a $500 donation in her name to the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Foundation; and a years subscription to Scrubs, the nations first lifestyle magazine for nurses. But it is making a difference in the lives of those she serves that gives Green her true reward. I am happiest when I am helping others, explains Green. I work with one of the most vulnerable populations, and the most rewarding part of my job is seeing a once-homeless Veteran who has a substance abuse disorder or chronic mental illness succeed in independent living and making strides in his life. I was given the gifts of passion and mercy, and this position allows me to use those gifts in a way that fulfills every professional desire in my career.

Since the Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award was established in 2003, almost 9,900 healthcare professionals have been nominated across the various nursing and non-physician disciplines. A panel of Cherokee representatives and past Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award recipients evaluates nominations and grants the awards. For every nomination, Cherokee Uniforms donated $1.00 to Nurses House, a national fund that provides short-term financial assistance to registered nurses facing serious hardship. Cherokee Uniforms will be accepting nominations for the 2012 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award beginning March 1 through May 31, 2012. For further information on the award, please visit http://inspiredcomfort.com, Like Cherokee Uniforms on Facebook - www.facebook.com/cherokeeuniforms, or receive updates on Twitter- http://twitter.com/InspiredComfort. ###
About Cherokee Uniforms Cherokee Uniforms, Tooniforms and Cherokee Footwear are leading brands in healthcare apparel, recognized for helping to foster a warmer, friendlier, more comfortable environment for healthcare workers and their patients. For more information, visit www.CherokeeUniforms.com.