Kathy Wainer, a licensed practical nurse at Cottesmore of Life Care in Gig Harbor, made a house call to check on a resident’s husband who hadn’t been reached by phone. When she found him in poor condition, she was able to get him the help he needed.

That and other stories of her going above and beyond her job duties, including riding in an ambulance from a hospital to Cottesmore with a patient who was scared, and taking in a resident’s dog when the resident had no one to care for it, recently earned Wainer the President’s Award from Life Care Centers of America.

“Kathy has demonstrated professional skill and compassion,” said Beecher Hunter, Life Care’s president.

Fifteen President’s Awards are presented annually to leaders of overall successful facilities or organizations within the Life Care organization.

Founded in 1976, Life Care is a nationwide healthcare company with more than 200 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states.