York College of PA Nursing Professor Selected as 2023 Health Care Hero

Dr. Klaudia Cwiekala-Lewis, Assistant Professor of Nursing at York College of Pennsylvania, has been selected as a 2023 Health Care Heroes honoree by the Central Penn Business Journal.

Health Care Heroes recognizes individuals and organizations who have had a positive impact on the quality of health care in Central Pennsylvania. To be eligible, honorees must live in or work in Central Pennsylvania. The honorees were selected by the Central Penn Business Journal editors and will be honored at an April 4 celebration.

Cwiekala-Lewis was selected in the Community Outreach Hero category for her work to provide relief to Ukrainian refugees entering Poland through a partnership that she created with a university in Poland, the State University of Applied Sciences in Włocławek. Working with students in her Community Nursing course, she established a way to support the refugees through an Amazon gift registry account in her name that anyone can use to purchase items to be sent to the State University of Applied Sciences in Włocławek.

Cwiekala-Lewis was also nominated for leading Nursing students to help the York community through numerous service-learning projects, including administering COVID vaccines; conducting clothing drives, lice prevention, and dental hygiene education for York City schools; collecting clothing donations for local homeless shelters; conducting wellness checks for York’s homeless; and serving Thanksgiving dinners to low-income residents.

“I am not the hero, but my team of Nursing faculty and students definitely is,” said Cwiekala-Lewis. “I am so honored, but our work is not done. There are lots of people who still need help.”

Cwiekala-Lewis joined the faculty at York College in 2017. Prior, she was a Clinical Instructor for the University of Arizona, an Intermittent Disaster Medical Assistant Team Staff Nurse for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and a Certified Online Faculty member for the University of Phoenix.

Cwiekala-Lewis also works, when needed, as a community nurse for WellSpan. She earned a BSN in nursing education from Cedar Crest College, an MSN in leadership in health systems management from Drexel University, and a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Arizona.

“The 2023 Health Care Heroes provide exceptional care to those in need. They lead, innovate, serve the community and mentor others and are truly heroes deserving of the recognition,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, senior group publisher of the Central Penn Business Journal. “These professionals have been on the frontlines of health care helping others, and we at the Central Penn Business Journal are honored to recognize their dedication to the community and to the profession.”