INA, Ill. (November 3, 2026) — Judy McClurken was named the 2026 Outstanding CNA of the Year at Rend Lake College's 2026 CNA Conference, held Oct. 23 on the Ina Campus. Sponsored by the Illinois Nurse Aide Testing at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, the conference saw an attendance of around 40 participants, including high school students.
Attendees had the opportunity to attend a networking vendor fair at the start of the day, followed by keynote speaker Sarah Woodworth from Hospice of Southern Illinois. The CNA Conference held breakout sessions, including CNA Feud and CNA jeopardy.
RLC Associate Professor of Nursing Sarah Hopfinger announced that McClurken, a CNA at Pinckneyville Community Hospital, is this year's winner.
Judy McClurken (right) receives the 2026 Outstanding CNA Award from RLC's Sarah Hopfinger (left).
"With 46 years of experience as a Certified Nursing assistant, Judy has dedicated her career to providing outstanding care and service to patients, families and healthcare teams," Hopfinger read from McClurken's nomination letter. "She treats each patient with dignity, kindness and respect, always going above and beyond to ensure their needs are met."
Pinckneyville Community Hospital staff pose for a photo with McClurken
For more information about the CNA Program, please visit rlc.edu/nursing.
