When her fellow townspeople approached Diana Webber saying they had no insurance and requesting a referral to a healthcare professional, the family nurse practitioner got right to work on their behalf.   
With few medical resources available for the uninsured among her southeastern Oklahoma community of 3,000 residents, Webber began methodically assessing her community’s health needs. Her interviews and data revealed a need for free healthcare in the community, and she realized that her experience and expertise could be the difference between families getting necessary primary care – or going without. With the support of her community, Webber founded the Hope Medical Clinic. For her exceptional service and extraordinary compassion, Webber is one of just six recipients nationwide of the 2009 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award. She received the coveted Grand Prize in the award’s advanced practice nurse category.    
“Diana Webber’s work to establish a free medical clinic in a rural area demonstrates her great compassion for others and her commitment to helping those who need it the most. Through extensive planning and innovative thinking, she is making a profound impact on her community,” says Wendell Mobley, who directs Cherokee Uniforms’ charitable and scholarship programs.
The award is granted by Cherokee Uniforms to recognize nurses and other non-physician healthcare professionals who demonstrate exceptional service, sacrifice and innovation and have a positive impact on others’ lives. As the Grand Prize Winner, Webber receives an all-expense-paid Caribbean cruise for two, a wardrobe featuring the best of Cherokee Uniforms and Cherokee Footwear worth more than $1,000, a Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award trophy and a 14K gold-plated commemorative pin.
But for Webber, the most valuable rewards come from her grateful patients. “One of the most appealing aspects [of nursing] is the genuine appreciation that my patients and families express for the care they receive,” she says.  “Just like every other human, I thrive when I know that what I do is appreciated. When my patients or their parents choose me to be their provider or tell me how grateful they are for these two clinics, I am motivated to provide the very best care possible.”