2011
Amanda Bornais – Vascular Lab (Amanda was nominated in November 2010 but was unable to attend the presentation.)
A coworker nominated Amanda.
Upon my rounds through the Vascular Lab last week I noticed a large bag of hand knitted caps. I asked what the caps were for and I was told Amanda and her mother knitted the caps and they were being sent to Radiation Oncology to be distributed to patients who had lost their hair. Apparently Amanda had come up with the idea while performing testing on a cancer patient. She purchased the yarn, enlisted the assistance of her mother and spent a great deal of her own time to make this thoughtful donation. She was attempting to do this silently until I noticed the bag. I feel Amanda’s actions exemplify our CARING values and our vision, Excellence. Every Patient. Every Time.
Rebecca Stiles – ER Registration(This is Rebecca’s 2nd Gold Star)
A coworker nominated Rebecca
While working in ER Registration, Becca Stiles met a woman who had brought her fiancé to the ER. He was a cancer patient. While Becca was speaking to the woman, she learned that on Thanksgiving Day, while the woman was visiting her daughter in Virginia, her rental home burned to the ground. She came home to nothing. Her belongings were all destroyed. All she had were the things she packed for her 3 day trip to Virginia. Becca spoke to the woman’s landlord and found out that they were putting in a trailer for the woman to reside. Becca put out a plea to her coworkers to gather items for this woman. She asked for clothing furniture, household items, and money. Becca made arrangements for a truck to be brought on site so coworkers could bring in their donations and deposit them in the truck. Becca also personally made numerous deliveries of donations using her own vehicle. A lot of people came forward and donated items for this lady. If it were not for Becca, her plight would have gone unnoticed. This woman was a stranger to Becca and she could have easily listened to her story of woe, offered her sympathy and moved on. Instead, Becca showed compassion to a stranger. We think Becca deserves a Gold Star for organizing her coworkers to help this poor woman.
Patty McDonald – M/S7
Patty’s department nominated her.
On M/S 7 there are a lot of elderly patients with mental health issues. Many must stay on our floor long past their discharge date because they are waiting to be placed. Because of dementia, many of these elderly patients are grouchy and uncooperative and many do not have family or friends. Patty always goes out of her way to interact and talk to these patients, even if it is a patient that is not assigned to her. She finds out what kind of snacks they like and out of her own pocket she will purchase or make treats and goodies for them. Again, because of their condition, many of these patients are unable to express gratitude to Patty for her special efforts. Even when patient doesn’t respond and remains grumpy, Patty doesn’t give up. She perseveres to put the patient first and make sure he/she has a good stay. Patty goes about her compassionate deeds in a quiet way. We know she doesn’t do it for the thanks. Rather, she does it because it is the right thing to do. She lives our CARING values.
Audrey Hockycko – Nursing Administration Staffing Office
An AD nominated Audrey.
Audrey Hockycko truly embraces our CARING values. This comes to light in many of the things she does. We want to acknowledge the above and beyond efforts she puts forth to assure all nursing units have appropriate coverage. On January 14, Audrey had a particularly difficult time locating someone to cover a shift in Aloysia Hall. Audrey knew that to assure patient safety, it was important to find someone to fill the slot. Audrey finally found an employee who lives close to the hospital and who walks to work. The one problem was that the employee who doesn’t work night shifts would not be getting off work until 10:00 p.m. She would have to walk home in the dark and they did not think this was safe for the employee. After putting in a hard day of work, Audrey volunteered to come back to the hospital at 10:00 p.m. (on her own time) to give this employee a ride home so as to assure the shift on Aloysia Hall would be covered. This is only one of the many things Audrey does. She constantly receives WOWs from other departments. She also buys coats and clothing for the patients in Geropsych. We want to recognize Audrey for her commitment to Excellence. Every Patient. Every Time.
Bobbi Hunt – Crichton Center(This is Bobbi’s 2nd Gold Star)
A coworker nominated Bobbi.
A young accident patient had been hospitalized for quite some time. Valentine’s Day was approaching and he wanted to present his wife with flowers. Bobbi called and ordered a dozen roses from a local florist. The roses were to be delivered to the patient so he could present them to his wife. His family lived out of town and they made arrangements to make sure his wife was there that special evening. Bobbi was out Valentine’s evening to celebrate the holiday with her guy when she received a call from the nurses that the flowers never arrived. Since the florist was closed, in the middle of her date, she went to the store and purchased roses and a vase along with a pillow pet. She personally delivered the “sweetheart” gifts to the patient so he could give them to his wife. The patient’s wife was extremely moved because she told people that this was the first time he had given her flowers for Valentine’s Day. This is typical of Bobbi. She quietly gives of herself to patients, families, and her coworkers. She is always there to say, “We can make it happen”. She truly is an example of our CARING values.
Sheri Mehalco, Diane Ozog, & Cindy Nosal – ASU/PACU(This is Sheri Mehalco’s 5th Gold Star)
Pete Mehalco – Parking Services(This is Pete Mehalco’s 3rd Gold Star)
The ASU Manager nominated Sheri, Diane, Cindy & Pete.
Over the past months the staff in ASU/PACU had the opportunity to care for a very sick patient. The patient has several chronic health problems. Due to her multiple visits, the staff have gotten to know her and they have become close. During one of her visits, staff learned that her health condition was taking a toll on her financially. She had to purchase a hospital bed for her home which took away money she was going to use to buy Christmas gifts for her grandchildren, whom she and her husband have full custody. To make things worse the patient was going through hemodialysis several times per week which left her too tired to bake Christmas cookies for her grandchildren. Sheri Mehalco shared this story with some of her coworkers. Sheri thought how wonderful it would be to help this patient and her family have a great holiday. Sheri and her Mom baked Christmas cookies for the patient and her family. Sheri inspired her peers Diane Ozog and Cindy Nosal and they contributed money to give along with Christmas goodies. Pete Mehalco, Sheri’s husband, took time from their busy schedules to deliver the cookies and the gift of money. The patient was delighted and surprised to see staff from Memorial Medical Center go above and beyond their scope of practice to help them have a great Christmas. I am extremely proud of these employees who live our CARING Values.
Jeff Szymusiak – Respiratory
A coworker nominated Jeff.
A member of the Respiratory Department needed to travel to Cleveland Clinic for a surgical procedure. The employee would be unable to drive after the procedure and was having a difficult time finding someone to travel with him to drive him home. Jeff heard of his dilemma and volunteered to use his PTO time to drive the employee to Cleveland. He drove him out the night before the surgery and stayed in local lodging. Jeff then drove the patient back home the next day. Jeff went above and beyond while showing respect for a fellow employee in need and expected nothing in return. I believe Jeff clearly displayed Conemaugh’s Vision & Values by showing compassion, respect, no excuses and a great attitude.