GRIT Award Winner 2024: Pat Beierwaltes

Pat Beierwaltes is the 2024 winner of the GRIT Administrator Award for the state of Minnesota. 

The GRIT Awards are sponsored by the national School-Based Health Alliance and extended in each state. Candidates are nominated by their peers, and the awards are extended yearly at the National School-Based Health Alliance Convention in Washington D.C. These awards are designed to recognize individuals who demonstrate genuine (G), resilient (R), innovative (I), and tenacious (T) qualities in their work to promote school-based health care.

The GRIT Awards are open to nominees from the state in four categories: providers, administrators, advocates, and champions. These individuals work in school-based health centers, providing primary care, behavioral, oral, vision, nutrition, telepresenter services, or provide leadership, support, and oversight to the SBHC team and partners. 

 Pat’s nominators describe her and her work in this way:

Pat is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who has been serving as the Director at the Health Commons at Pond at the Bloomington Schools for the last 6 years. Although this work is assigned as part of her teaching at Minnesota State University, Mankato, there are many hours where Pat volunteers her time. 

Pat also supervises and mentors nursing students who complete clinical hours at the Health Commons, from first semester nursing students who administer their very first vaccinations under Pat’s supervision, to Doctor of Nursing Practice students. Pat also precepts Family Nurse Practitioner students at Pond.

Due to the positive feedback from the students and the strong partnership that Pat has built with the Bloomington School District the clinic has survived budget cuts, the Covid Pandemic and other struggles, mostly due to Pat’s passion and perseverance.

Pat has been a lifeline to many people who are brand new to the United States, and students and families. Pat has been particularly diligent in screening for Social Determinants of Health and has instituted a referral program to other social services such as the food shelf at VEAP. She treats everyone with the utmost respect, grace and love.

Pat has impacted the lives of many students and families in the Bloomington school as well as demonstrated this kind of practice to the many students who she has mentored over the years. She is one of a kind and worthy of a GRIT award.