Rittenhouse Village at Valparaiso welcomes its new fully seasoned Director of Nursing, Diana Coye. A woman who has stepped up and been on the front lines of many international crises, Coye has never said no to saving lives in times of devastation.
Coye has previously been a hospice nurse, a long-term care nurse, a home health nurse, and a volunteer nurse in Haiti during the cholera pandemic in 2010 with Samaritan’s Purse. She also worked for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the beginning of the pandemic as a second job to her full-time director job at a former community.
Coye and her family recently moved to Valpo from Naperville, Ill., where she was the director of nursing at a supportive living community for residents ages 22 to 64 with developmental delays and disabilities.
“They couldn’t quite live alone, but they can live with supportive services. That was a very unique population to work with,“ Coye said.
With family in St. John and a desire to move to a new area, Coye and her family have made a home in Valpo and quickly became a fabric of the community.
“I got connected with the church. I attend Calvary Church in Valparaiso. That’s my church family. I was just drawn to Valpo. I’m from Georgia, and this kind of felt like home to me. I like that small-town feel, but I do like some energy like our downtown, and I support local businesses,” Coye said.
After spending time commuting to Chicago from Valparaiso, Coye began looking for a place closer to home.
“Rittenhouse was it. I feel like we mutually chose each other because when I came in, I felt I could definitely do some things here that would be very positive,” she said.
The welcoming atmosphere at Rittenhouse is special and unique to Coye.
“At some communities, no matter how beautiful they look when you walk in or even on the outside, you don’t get that welcoming feeling. But that’s something you do receive when you walk through our doors here. You feel welcomed. It’s a welcoming environment, and that draws you in to want to know more,” said Coye.
Rittenhouse strives to provide staffing opportunities and ensure that resident standards are met.
“Right now, we are restructuring from an employee base, and that is pretty exciting. We’re coming up with some new things, especially with our benefits. We’re initiating and implementing some new benefits we can provide to our staff,” she said.
The SHINE program at Rittenhouse is also a big focus right now.
“It is geared toward our Alzheimer's-dementia population and provides support and education. It is a specialized program personalized for their care. There are so many different types of dementia, not just Alzheimer's. With the SHINE program, we give them that personalized care and help with the different challenges that the individual might have throughout the day. And then our staff becomes more expert in dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia,” Coye said.
Rittenhouse’s SHINE program now includes a much-needed support group for families of dementia.
“With the implementation of our support group, working alongside our new memory care director will also help to educate the families on some of the levels and some of the challenges that they may also experience so they know how to deal with those challenges. It is debilitating to watch a loved one that once knew your face now not recognize it,” said Coye.
Coye brings her heart and soul to her position at Rittenhouse. As a supportive wife and proud mother of five, ages 17 to 24, she somehow finds the time to continue to volunteer as a member of Sigma Theta Zeta with Zeta Phi Beta. This includes a lot of community outreach from helping at the Food Bank of East Chicago to educating communities about premature birth and stillbirths.
“We’ll be going to the Metropolitan Church in East Chicago to talk and pass out the different ribbons and shed light on that, allowing healthy grieving because people grieve through that for a long time. Those are two things I’m doing at least this month,” said Coye.
Finding the balance between work and family is important for Coye, though it may require having Thanksgiving celebrations early to work around her busy family’s schedule.
“We make time to get together and keep that family togetherness because we are all on a different schedule,” Coye said.
Having been through so many critical health care situations, Coye has learned that sticking together and finding your personal happy place for a mental escape from time to time is what helps get a person through rough times.
“We have to remember what we went to school for, the oath we took, the torch we decided to carry along with Florence Nightingale who carried that torch with Clara Barton. We’re always on the front lines. We may not always be recognized, but we’re on the front lines. You have to find your happy place so that you can continue to deal with the things that you decided to with that oath,” said Coye.
Nursing was not always an aspiration for Coye.
“My grandfather actually had Alzheimer's dementia. I actually left college where I was going for computer information system, and I thought, ‘I’m going to be a CNA. I’m going to take care of my grandfather,” she said.
After completing her class, she wasn’t sure being a CNA is what she really wanted.
“But I knew that I didn’t want anyone else to take care of my grandfather,” Coye said.
Then in an anatomy and physiology class, a classmate pointed out that she thought Coye would make a wonderful nurse.
“I met a young lady who ended up losing her life to something really tragic, and she would always tell me that ‘you’re going to be a really good nurse.’ Shortly after that she and her family were actually murdered. That was the spark. That became my goal. I had energy for nursing that week, and I felt like I am doing this for her. Her name was Olivia,” Coye said.
Nursing school has been the focus that gives her drive through all of life’s obstacles.
“During nursing school, I lost my brother suddenly to cardiac arrest. I have to keep pushing, to keep educating. I’m so passionate to know more. That’s why I became a cardiac nurse. I want people to know what’s going on. I want them to be educated. I don’t want my patients to be ignorant. I want them to know why they take their meds and why the doctor advises these things,” said Coye.
Coye models how to find inspiration and drive to lead a life of purpose, always looking ahead to become better and learn more every day. An inspiring woman, mother of five, loving wife, incredible leader, and thriving activist, Coye gives hope to many, always believing the best is yet to come and never settling for stagnation.