Employee of the Month

Nominees:

Nominee: Jessica Istvan - Emergency Services
Nominated By: Teri Magraw - ICU

Recently, it was necessary for a large number of staff to be treated for exposure to scabies. The decontamination room in the ED was set up clinical style, so employees could be treated. Jessica along with her co-workers, worked to make the process as quick as they could. This could have meant being very impersonal with those if us in need. Jessica, however noticed how upset I was, just thinking about all the patients I had come in contact with, and even with 16 people waiting to be triaged, she took the time to offer comfort and reassurance. 
 

Nominee: Dionne Gatewood - Environmental Services
Nominated by: Amy Curtis, Iris Wiggs, and Margaret Kline - IRC Lab

Dionne has been a wonderful asset to our department. Whenever we need her even at her inconvenience, she always comes down with a smile on her face and takes care of getting the lab ready for us. We have called her on many occasions at the last minute, and she rearranges her tasks to keep us on time so that our patients and physicians’ are not kept waiting. We consider Dionne to be an important part of
“OUR” team. She definitely demonstrates Service Excellence at Union Hospital.

Nominees: Flo Vlard and Velvet Dant - Emergency Services
Nominated by: Chris Lenz - Emergency Services

I would like to nominate Flo and Velvet for Employees of the Month. I worked on 7/27/10 and we were extremely busy. There were over 5 PCU Holds and the monitor tech for PCU was sent home early due to illness. That left the charge nurse for PCU unable to take an assignment due to absorption of the monitor tech role. A solution was created that included our techs going up to PCU to watch the monitors to allow our patients to get up to PCU and avoid going on Red Alert. Flo and Velvet took on the challenge without a complaint. That night Flo and Velvet were champions of our team. Their positive attitude is not only isolated to that night, but shows through every night. These two are definitely examples of exceptional techs and show it on a daily basis.

Nominee: Dawn Mcintyre - Behavioral Health
Nominated by: Dr. Harun Evicmen and Lauren Watson - Behavioral Health

Dawn is absolutely the greatest. She is always there when we need her day and night, and is willing to step into any situation and help out .Dawn has a tremendous ability to handle most difficult patients by using her caring attitude, calming voice and smiling face Her feedbacks all the time are well taken and improve the program for clinical excellence. She creates a fun and effective work environment and is supportive of all our goals. Dawn is a big help not only for our patients but also for our clinical team.

Nominee: Teresa McKnight - PCU
Nominated by: Dorene Kennard - PCU

Dorene states that Teresa is a valuable employee who always goes the extra mile and does it with a smile. It was a very busy Tuesday in July recently and we were planning to transfer a patient to a nursing facility. It was also planned that the patient should have a CT of the abdomen the next day as an Outpatient. Theresa took it upon herself to arrange the test to be completed the following day at 9:30 a.m.., She called the family to make sure the drinks could be transported to the patient at the Nursing Home so that the patient would be adequately prepped for the test.At the end of her shift, she even went as far as to stop by the Outpatient Department and drop off the script so that the registration could be finalized. Teresa spent a lot of time on the phone this day calling and arranging this.
 
 

 

Nominees:

Nominee: Tina Otto - Surgical and Endoscopy Services
Nominated by: Margaret Souder-Surgical and Endo Services

In the surgical services department one day recently, they were treating a patient with unusual circumstances. The patient was being transported from our local department of corrections. During the pre/post care of this patient, Tina exemplified the utmost compassion and understanding for the patient.
The special circumstances surrounding this situation provoked different responses in many of our staff. Tina treated this patient as she would any other patient with concern and respect. This is not out of the norm for Tina; she always provides exceptional care for patients, no matter what the situation is. 

Nominee: Christina Bookout- Patient Access, ED Registration
Nominated by: Meg Pennington RN-Emergency Services

Meg nominated Christina Bookout, whom showed the “epitome of Service Excellence” last month. Transportation arrived to take a 16 week pregnant patient to Ct-Scan but when they arrived to the room, discovered the patient missing. Christina noticed the patient on her way out the door and escorted her back to the room. Based on the results of the CT, the patient was intubated minutes later. If not for Christina’s vigilant and dedicated effort to providing Service Excellence, Meg believes the patient’s outcome would have been very grave.
 

Nominees:

Nominee: Julia Biaselli-Accounting
Nominated by: Eleanor Rebor and Danielle Mackie-Foundation

Julie never hesitates to go above and beyond the normal guidelines when asked. She is understanding and complies with our requests in a quick and timely manner. During the Fair Hill races events an inordinate amount of check requests came through as well as invoices. Julia readily accepted the request understanding the importance and always meeting the challenge. Julia always demonstrates the importance of quality inter-departmental relationships. Julia’s outstanding cooperation and understanding helped to ensure a successful event for the hospital. 

Nominee: Eric Ebaugh-Surgical and Endoscopy Services
Nominated by: Lisa Turner-OR

On the Morning of May 11th Eric and I were headed towards the café for a quick break. Eric noticed down the hall two Cecil County EMT’s struggling to repair a stretcher. With out thinking twice, he headed back to the OR and returned a few minutes later with two warm blankets and ran ahead to offer the patient them while the EMT’s fixed the stretcher. I could hear the patient and the EMT’s thanking him for his genuine act of kindness. What Eric did that day goes beyond his role in the OR and without selfishness, provided to a patient a simple act of kindness. It is noted that the most appreciated acts of kindness are those that are the simplest.

Nominee: Marjorie Robinson-Outpatient Registration
Nominated by: Terri Bader-Adult Day Care

Marjorie always displays a professional appearance; she always has a smile on her face and a positive attitude. Marjorie is always interested in making the customers experience a positive one. I observed Marjorie on May 5th; it was an extremely busy day with staff doing biometrics and the normal patient flow. She was running around trying to be as quick and efficient as possible. When she stepped away from the desk for a minute to obtain paper work from the back, I overheard several positive comments from the community stating “what a nice person she is, “she always does a good job”. It is evident that Marjorie takes pride in herself and the job she is doing. I hope the hospital appreciates the job that she does. Marjorie is an excellent role model for us all to follow.

Nominee: Kate Snyder- Human Resources
Nominated by: Cheryl Hewlett-Medical Staff Office

Kate has gone above and beyond to make many of the initiatives this year very successful. She added additional flu clinics and HRA Biometrics sessions. She is always responding to the call for more from the employees. She is an asset to the organization and a wonderful person.
 

Nominees:

Roberto Sandoval & Juan Carlos Pineda, EVS - Nominated by Steven Laskowski and Roma Raymon, Laboratory

Steven nominated Roberto and Juan for their outstanding daily performance and for the work they did to help with the Lab’s Open House during National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week. Steven said Juan and Roberto first came up with a plan that they spoke to the Lab about and they kept to a tight schedule to complete all the tasks. They scrubbed calcium deposits off sink handles, scrubbed and buffed the floors and many other jobs. They did the work in a “quiet and respectful manner.” They were always polite and smiling. Steven described them as having an “unspoken way of working around employees.” They show pride in their work and are thankful and appreciative and exemplify Service Excellence. 

Florence Smith, Respiratory - Nominated by Deb Martin, Respiratory 

Deb describes Rusty as an “extremely reliable and service oriented employee.” Rusty volunteers to do extra work and is always striving to make sure patients are comfortable. She goes the extra mile for them brushing their hair or giving neck massages. Deb says the most impressive thing about Rusty is that she is an “Encourager.” She recognizes others for the work they do and makes each person feel appreciated. She cares about her coworkers and her patients and makes each feel special.

Lynn Bittner, HIS - Nominated by Michelle Adams and Charlotte Temple

In order to make recent changes related to orders for restraint and seclusion, Lynne became very educated on the requirements, policies, roles of Physicians, Nurses, and Unit Clerks with restraint and seclusion. Then Lynne had to determine how to incorporate them into our systems. Most of the work Lynne does is behind the scenes but critical to making others work easier. During the project, Michelle and Charlotte say Lynne went above and beyond, meeting with many individuals to make sure she had a full understanding of everything. She was always responsive to requests and questions and always demonstrated Service Excellence. And all of this was done with a 60 day time frame. They described Lynne as an “outstanding team member and employee” and that it is “an honor and privilege” to work with her.
 

Nominees:

Danielle Mackie, Foundation - Nominated by  Robin Emrick, Medical Records

Robin nominated Danielle for all her behind the scenes, hard work she does to make Foundation events a success. She describes Danielle as having “fresh, creative ideas” that have proven to be a “tremendous success” such as the Chef’s Challenge in March success. An article was even published in the Whig regarding the event.

Denelda Shaw, Lab - Nominated by Barb Schneider, Lab

Barb nominated Dee after a recent situation in which Barb showed teamwork and great customer service. It was late one afternoon and a call came in from a physician looking for antibiotic sensitivity results on a patient. The physician was frustrated about the turn around time and that no one was in Micro to assist. Dee took the time to listen to his concerns, calm him down, and assured him she would contact someone and call him back. Dee called Barb at home for help. Dee was able to look up the unfinished results and provided them to Barb so Barb was able to call the physician with a suggested antibiotic for treatment.
 

Nominees:

Tina Bernstine, Family Education - Nominated by Amy Shives-Friend, MIC

Amy feels Tina is a “true asset” to MIC and that she provides a service that is a key to success for breastfeeding moms. Tina always goes above and beyond for patients and makes sure the moms ar ready when they go home. In February Amy received a call from a mom that was extremely grateful for Tina’s assistance and helpfulness. This mother was in a support group and she learned about a mass on her breast and was worried about how it would affect her breastfeeding. Tina told her they would work through it together to help her continue with her wishes to breastfeed. Tina even sat with the patient during the ultrasound. The patient was so appreciative of everything Tina did for her during this time.

Jeff Cunningham, Groundskeeper - Nominated by Ann Gross, Purchasing

Ann nominated Jeff for always keeping the parking lots and sidewalks clear, even with all the snow storms we had this year. Ann said it’s great to be able to come to work and have a clear parking lot and sidewalk to get to the hospital. Also, during the warm months, Jeff is always taking great care of the landscaping and the plants are always “gorgeous and the grass is always manicured to perfection.”

Cheryl Vogel, Case Management - Nominated by Patty Keene, Peds

Patty nominated Cheryl soon after she had acquired the Peds Unit as her assignment. It was a Monday morning and Patty had a full list of requests for Cheryl. Patty also knew Cheryl has a full plate as well with work and pursuing her BSN! Cheryl accepted the list and took care of them in a short period of time, always remaining positive and keeping them up to date, so that they could keep their patients up to date. One particular patient was waiting to be discharged but they knew how much time would be needed to set up their equipment at home so Cheryl tackled that one first so the patient could notify the family and things could be taken care of. She also assisted with another family that had concerns, and they were very appreciative of her support. Patty said Cheryl “showed a great deal of compassion and professionalism” with the patients and families.
 

Nominees:

Soma Dongre, C.N.A., 2E Nominated by – Terry Ham, House Supervisor

In Terry’s nomination she mentions the numerous times she will call Soma in the morning to help as a C.N.A. or sitter, often calling her before her shift begins and Soma is always willing to come in and help. One day in January she came in to help sit for a difficult patient on 3E and stayed all day. She is always willing to help other units. Terry describes Soma as flexible and reliable. She never complains or gets upset. Soma also goes above and beyond demonstrating Service Excellence, greeting everyone with a hello with a smile on her face.

Lynn Jones, Surgical Services Nominated by – Robin Emrick, Medical Records

Robin nominated Lynn after witnessing a recent event in February. Lynn happened to see a man fall to the floor after stopping to get her lunch. She “jumped into action” having someone call the Emergency Response Team. She cleared his airway and stayed by his side talking to the patient and the family while waiting for the Team. The family was very appreciative that Lynn was there to help their father. When the patient was taken away, Lynn just “picked up her food and proceeded down the hallway.” For her, it just appeared to be “all in a days work.” Robin felt it was an honor to watch “this miracle happen.”

Stacy Barlow, Transportation Nominated by – Cindy Haley, Transportation

In December Cindy was parked at the Howard Street parking lot and she heard Stacy yell “watch out” when she got out of her car. A man grabbed Cindy’s purse and took off running. Stacey threw her coffee cup away and chased after him. Stacey tackled him to the ground and take the purse away from him before he took off again. An article in the Cecil Whig was even published describing the events that took place. Cindy was grateful to Stacey for saving the day.

Nominees:

Susan Prior, Diabetes Coordinator, Nominated by - Donna Woodis, Medical Management

Donna nominated Susan after needing her assistance one Saturday. A patient had dm and no insurance. After exhausting all in house resources she called Susan’s cell. On Susan’s day off, she helped the patient receive their insulin and called the pump rep so they could get more supplies for their pump. Then the next day Susan called and followed up with the patient to make sure they had everything they needed. Donna says Susan has come to her rescue many times to help patients and Service Excellence comes naturally to her.

Sandy Clifton, CNA, 2 East, Nominated by - Florence Smith, Respiratory

Florence wanted to recognize Sandy for being a very hard working aide. She describes Sandy as always having a smile on her face, offering a helping hand to a coworker, and goes above and beyond to help patients and their families. She has seen Sandy run to get a magazine or a treat for them and frequently prays with patients and families when asked to join them.

Nominees:

Tina Ruth, Purchasing, Nominated by – Patti Reynolds, Customer Service

Patti nominated Tina after seeing Tina in the cafeteria behind a gentleman that wanted to pay for his meal with his debit card. He said he would have to run back upstairs to get cash when he was told they didn't’t accept debit cards and Tina told him “I got it, Merry Christmas!” Patti says the hospital is blessed to have people like Tina!

Kay Down, HIS, Nominated by – Dr. Weidner

Dr. Weidner nominated Kay for consistently being available for IT issues and is only a phone call away when there are EMS issues. He is always able to reach her even on Sunday mornings. He describes Kay as a key employee of the hospital and a resource he has come to trust.

Kassy Reilly, ED RN, Nominated by – Shannon Pannell

Shannon described a recent story when her friend was rushed to the hospital. By the time Shannon met her friend at the hospital, Kassy already had her friend resting comfortably under warm blankets. Shannon described Kassy as “a ray of sunlight” that day for her. Kassy made sure her friend was assured, comfortable and attended to her every need. When her BP dropped, Kassy was there in an instant and checked on her every few minutes until her BP came back up. Shannon never worried about her friend’s physical state knowing Kassy was taking care of her. This allowed Shannon to help her friend’s husband make calls and organize care for their children. Shannon describes Kassy as a fine example of outstanding Service Excellence!
 

Nominees:

Pam Ives, RN 2 East, Nominated by - Sandy Clifton, 2 East

Sandy nominated Pam for her "ready to go attitude" and always coming to work with a smile. Pam is always willing to
help and Sandy shared a recent story to showcase Pam's service excellence. On this particular day Pam was in charge and one patient was "ranting and raving" about his stay and that no one cared about him. The patient stated they would sign themselves out. Pam spoke to the patient and calmed him down. She was able to encourage him to stay and cooperate with the staff. Sandy describes Pam as an "outstanding nurse and person."

Eddie Alvarez, MRI/CT, Nominated by Kathy Reil, Patient

Kathy was scheduled for an appointment and Eddie was the tech that took care of her. She states he provided excellent
service and took further steps with his detail and professional courtesies, making her feel comfortable and safe. She feels he "personifies what a graet employee should be." He demonstrates respect to his patients and is dedicated and loyal to his profession, organization and patients. She feels Eddie goes above and beyond to make his patients feel special.

Nominees:

Loretta Little, Pharmacy Tech, Nominated by - Sharon Smith, Pharmacy Tech

Sharon nominated Loretta for always being the person "you can call and she will come in." Loretta steps up to the plate when the Pharmacy is short, rearranging her day to help out. Sharon says Loretta is great to work with and an asset to the department.

Deb Martin, Respiratory, Nominated by - Florence Smith, Respiratory

Florence nominated Deb for being a skilled and caring person inside and outside of work, helping in her community. Deb always has a smile and helps her fellow co-workers, giving kind words to family members and coming in and staying late as needed to help her department. She shows Service Excellence by "helping patients with their trays, feeding a patient, and running to get water or find the patient something to read."

Kay Down, HIS, Nominated by - Dr. Weidner and Dr. Tietjens

Dr. Weidner nominated Kay for being consistently available for IT issues and is always a phone call away when EMR issues occur. He can reach her anytime whether it is during the week or a Sunday morning. He also describes her as "persistent and consistent in training, implementing , and pursuing meaningful use of the EMR. .. " He describes her as a key employee of IT and a resource he has come to trust. Dr. Tietjens also nominated Kay for "working tirelessly for years with our EMR." She describes Kay as having a calm manner, never laying blame, and always valuable in a crisis and can be called in any time of day, night, or weekends.

Marjorie Robinson, Outpatient Registration, Nominated by - Danny Lea, AHI

Danny describes Marjorie as a "wonderful role model" for the Service Excellence principle "Every person, Every Day, Every time." He continues that even visitors of the hospital notice what an extraordinary person she is and shared a recent experience when he was at a bank and the teller recognized his employee badge. The teller asked what Danny's job at Union was and he explained his role including the support of Service Excellence initiatives. The teller immediately replied "There is a person at Union that is the best I have ever seen. She is so uplifting in the way she interacts with people." After describing the employee, Danny says it was his pleasure to tell her it was Marjorie. Danny concluded that there are many at Union that perform extraordinary acts of Service Excellence but none who can beat Marjorie for consistency!

Konnie Kenyah, 3 East, Nominated by Bunnie Minter, 3 East

Bunnie says Konnie has never lost focus of she became a nurse and that she never gets caught up in tasks but focuses on meeting her patient's needs. Konnie takes time with all her patients, as if they were family, explains things and answers their questions. Konnie will never say "that's not my patient." She demonstrates teamwork and service excellence and helps with any patient.

Nominees:

Nancy Tuer, RN, MIC, Nominated by — Jennifer Adams, RV, Peds

Jennifer nominated Nancy for being a "great role model for Service Excellence." Jennifer said Nancy treats mother's to be with the "gentle and loving touch of a mother." Nancy also helps visitors find other units. She helps her co-workers and is genuinely interested in their well being. Jennifer describes Nancy as the definition of a nurse — "caring."

Deb Martin, Respiratory, Nominated by — Joy Woodall, Respiratory

Joy describes Deb as professional and provides Service Excellence to patients every day.  She described a recent situation when Deb had a young ICU patient that was hard to wean off the ventilator and Deb spent hours with the patient taking the time to wean the patient, giving them breaks from the Bipap system and helping adapt and tolerate the wean. Joy says Deb puts forth this effort with every patient.

Debra Jackson, Lead, EVS, Nominated by — Robert Pencek, Laundry Worker

Robert stated that Deb shows Service Excellence by her kindness and respect to patients, employees, and co-workers and always has a positive attitude towards them as well. She's always helping others and is there when anyone needs her.