In fact, health care workers overall came in second to the eventual Person of the Year Jennifer Rombalski, the La Crosse County Health Department director who is moving to a key position in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

As one Person of the Year nominator wrote: “Never have we seen such a strain on our excellent facilities, and yet day after day, our friends, neighbors and family members who work at Gundersen ... and Mayo are literally putting their lives in danger as they battle COVID-19 on the front lines. They show courage, grace and compassion, despite exhaustion, fear and uncertainty. I can think of no one who deserves this honor more.”

Today, the River Valley Media Group begins our annual “Nurses: The Heart of Health Care” program. Here’s your chance to nominate nurses who are serving our community so steadily.

“Nursing is a demanding profession with more challenges faced in 2020 than ever before due to COVID-19,” the program states. “Nursing professionals do far more than most people imagine — and their impact is enormous.”

Anyone can nominate a nurse who has made a difference in their life of the life of a loved one during 2020. Nominations are open now until March 17 at go.lacrossetribune.com/nurses

After collecting nominations, an independent panel of judges will choose nine extraordinary nursing professionals, and one Nurse of the Year will be chosen in late March.

The honored nurses will be recognized in a River Valley Media Group special section in our papers on Sunday, May 9; there also will be a video presentation online highlighting each professional’s story.