Pictured left to right: Roberto Iglesias, MD, medical director of pediatric trauma at St. Vincent Hospital Evansville; ISMA Past President Thomas Whitemen, MD; Mary Raley, RN; and ISMA Past President Heidi Dunniway, MD.

Mary Raley, RN, an emergency services nurse in Evansville, received the 2017 ISMA Patient Health Advocate Award for her work promoting all-terrain vehicle (ATV) safety in Indiana. The award was presented to her at ISMA’s annual convention Sunday, Sept. 17, after an introduction by Roberto Iglesias, MD, medical director of pediatric trauma at St. Vincent Hospital Evansville.
 
Raley, of Utica, Ky., is coordinator of injury prevention, trauma education and outreach at St. Vincent Hospital Evansville. 
 
The award recognizes a non-physician who has contributed greatly to the health and well-being of Hoosier patients. Raley has worked extensively to educate the tristate community on ATV safety, expanding her efforts in 2015 after Kate Bruggenschmidt, 11, of Rockport, was killed riding an ATV without a helmet. Raley and Kate’s mother formed the Indiana ATV Safety Coalition, and a state law she championed took effect July 1 and requires Hoosiers younger than 18 to wear helmets on ATVs.
 
“Throughout her career, Mary has been a tremendous advocate for patient, family and community safety education and injury prevention,” noted ISMA Past President Heidi Dunniway, MD, who nominated Raley for the award. “Her efforts and dedication are unwavering.”