Sr. Mary Jeanne Frances: A Difference Maker, Covington, USA

May 4, 2016

Sr. Mary Jeanne Frances Cleves (Covington) received the Congressman Hal Rogers Difference Maker Award at the St. Claire Medical Pavilion Groundbreaking Ceremony on May 2, 2016.

Congressman Hal Rogers, a member of the United States House of Representatives, presented Sr. Jeanne Frances with the award for her dedication to healthcare in the Morehead, Kentucky region.

“Sr. Jeanne Frances exemplifies what the Sisters of Notre Dame have meant to this part of our region,” Congressman Rogers said during the ceremony. “More than 50 years ago, she started as a nurse in the emergency room and continues to work part-time today, visiting with patients and ministering to them. She helped transform healthcare in Morehead and continues to serve as a true Difference Maker.”

Sr. Jeanne Frances is currently the Patient Satisfaction Liaison at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, KY. She interviews patients before they depart from the hospital to ensure that every visitor receives the best care possible.

Her understanding of providing top-notch healthcare began in 1963. Following a year of training as a nurse at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Northern Kentucky, Sr. Jeanne Frances left to facilitate the opening of St. Claire Regional Medical Center 100 miles south in Morehead, KY.

Sr. Jeanne Frances’ first assignment at St. Claire was assisting in surgery. She did this for ten years before receiving a temporary medical assignment in Indonesia, which lasted until the end of the 1970s. Upon returning to the United States, Sr. Jeanne Frances resumed her work at St. Claire, this time in the delivery and emergency rooms. Over the years she worked with countless patients and befriended many along the way.

After news of the award was posted on the St. Claire Regional Medical Center Facebook page, her friends shared their words of congratulations and support. One person commented, “Sister Jeanne Frances, your kindness is what I remember when I was injured in 1972. I was five years old. God bless and congratulations on your award. You made a difference to us all in your day-to-day sacrifice.”