Mrs. Karen Zapka is a Registered Nurse, Certified Diabetes Educator, and serves as the VACWM Facility-Wide Diabetes Program Manager in the Primary Care Service Line. She is a leader in the field of diabetes treatment, is highly respected by her colleagues, provides diabetes education and coaching to clinicians from multiple disciplines throughout the VACWM facility. I have witnessed firsthand the compassionate, patient-centered care that she provides to Veterans and Internal stakeholders. She has raised the standard of diabetes care throughout the entire facility. Mrs. Zapka is a champion for doing what's right. She works hard to advocate for Veterans with specific needs who may not qualify to receive certain equipment according to strict government rules and regulations. As an example, Karen followed her moral compass and ethical code when she fought for a Veteran who needed a continuous glucose monitor with alarms but did not fall within the guidelines of the current protocol for such a device. After conducting a thorough assessment of the Veteran's needs and technical abilities. Mrs. Zapka provided careful and thorough documentation for the pharmacy provider of his disability (he had only one working arm due to a stroke and was confined to a wheelchair) and his need for the sensor with alarms (he suffered from hypoglycemia unawareness and occasional loss of consciousness). Due to her efforts, an exception was made for this Veteran who was then able to receive the quality ethical care that he deserved. Since receiving his sensor and training from Mrs. Zapka, he has been flourishing. Specifically, the Veteran's most recent sensor readings reveal average blood glucose of 132 mg/dl with 94% of his glucose readings in the target range of 70-180 mg/dl. Less than 1% of his readings fell below target into the hypoglycemic range. The Veteran stated that he "loves this device" and believes that his improved health and reduced risk of harm are all due to Mrs. Zapka's s hard work and caring determination to assist him. This only serves as one example of the type of treatment Mrs. Zapka provides to all of the Veterans in her care. Karen also worked with a 59-year-old Veteran with type 1 diabetes who had several EMT and hospital ER visits secondary to recurrent severe hypoglycemia. He was previously unable to utilize a continuous glucose monitor due to his difficulty applying it to his skin. When new technology arrived that simplified the process, Karen proactively reached out to the Veteran and his family, encouraging them to receive live information about his blood glucose levels. There have been no ER visits since. The Veteran and his family credit Mrs. Zapka with providing them with a life-changing tool and the peace of mind that comes with confidence and control over one's health. Working with Karen Zapka and serving as her supervisor has been the highlight of my career, she is a remarkable nurse who provides excellent care for the Veterans whom she serves.