Legendary nurse advocate Hilke Faber passes on, leaving behind debt of gratitude

WSNA remembers and honors Hilke Faber, an amazing nurse advocate who died on October 19.

Faber’s accomplishments are legendary. She joined WSNA in 1965, serving on numerous councils and committees. She was a nurse leader who made huge inroads for nurses, including her instrumental work in the passage of the Nurse Practice Act in 1973, which set forth a new definition of nursing and provided for the expanding role of nurses in advanced practice roles. She was also a pioneer in advancing continuing education for all nurses.

In 1975, just 10 years out of nursing school, she was appointed by Seattle Mayor Wesley Uhlman to the Women’s Commission, which advises city officials on pressing issues for women, including health, homelessness, and domestic violence.

One of her greatest passions was improving care for people in long-term facilities.

In 1976, she became the first appointed Nursing Home Ombudsman for Seattle-King County, serving more than 15,000 nursing home residents, their families, and friends. She provided leadership in the passage of major nursing home reform legislation both statewide and nationally, including a Resident Bill of Rights and the Long-Term Care Resident Rights Law. In 1984, Faber founded the Washington State Nursing Home Resident Councils, a statewide nonprofit bringing the voice of the residents into the state and national public policy debate.

She also served on the Board of Directors of the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform and on the American Academy of Nursing’s Long-Term Care Committee.

Faber brought her considerable experience in continuing education to the role of education program specialist on staff at WSNA from 2004 to 2015.

And these are just some of her accomplishments.

Faber’s many awards and recognitions include the King County Nurses Association Nurse of the Year in 1976, induction as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1980, and the Resident Councils of Washington Recognition Award in 2012. She was inducted in the WSNA Hall of Fame in 2018.

For more details on her contributions to the nursing profession, see the 2018 Hall of Fame profile.

WSNA will post additional information as it becomes available about honoring Faber’s memory. Please let us know if you would like to share any memories. Write us at communications@wsna.org.