Carrie Clune, infection preventionist, was Sycamore Medical Center’s nominee for the Ohio Hospital Association’s 2018 Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award. One employee from each campus is nominated for this award, which is presented annually to one Ohio hospital caregiver who personifies a leader, gives back to the community, reflects the mission and values of his or her organization, and routinely goes beyond the call of duty. You can read Carrie’s nomination below:
Great Leader
Carrie is best described as a “change agent,” consistently leading others to improve their practice and connect with new systems. Carrie was instrumental in developing an evidence-based method to meticulously assess patients for potential or risk of infection and then assisting both physicians and nurses in carrying out a proactive prevention plan. She implemented the use of predictive modeling to help evaluate patients for risk of C. difficile infections before they become ill, and has developed a proactive bundle of care to ensure they stay well. She acts as a coach to others on the value of these changes and fosters strong physician relationships in order to collaborate and problem-solve. She has the expertise and experience to set the vision for eliminating infections, and she has worked tirelessly to continue advancing Kettering Health Network’s focus on safety and innovation.
Goes Beyond the Call of Duty
Carrie is a highly-involved clinician, striving to make herself visible and accessible. Her rounding on employees, patients, physicians, and core processes has proactively caught potential safety events before they have a chance to occur. This has allowed the team to continually reach for an even safer environment. Carrie takes ownership of and feels personally accountable for patient outcomes. She provides timely guidance and feedback to help others strengthen specific knowledge or skills to solve the problem of infections. She personally connected with each member of Sycamore Medical Center’s housekeeping staff to bring them education, awareness, and a specific action plan to ensure they understand how the work they do every day helps protect patients from infections and saves lives. Carrie is the sentry to ensure everyone who passes through Sycamore Medical Center is following the best practices to keep infections as close to zero as possible.
Reflects the Mission and Values of Kettering Health Network
Kettering Health Network is known for its clinically effective, fully integrated healthcare delivery system. We are united by a common goal to strengthen the community through whole-person care, and this is best exemplified through the commitment and zeal of leaders like Carrie. Her passion is palpable, as she ensures each patient receives the type of care she would want for her own friends or family members. Carrie’s attention to detail and reliable follow-up make her integrity evident in all matters. She has deep compassion for patients who are suffering from illnesses related to infections and she has ensured that the customer’s perspective is a driving force behind business decisions.
Gives Back to the Community
Carrie considers public health and safety a priority and has created methods for tracking community infections and alerts for clinicians. Carrie volunteers at Kettering Health Network’s public vaccination events and has become a subject matter expert for all eight campuses within the network. She is passionate about ensuring that public health threats are reduced through an effective flu vaccination program for employees and patients. Her creation of data infrastructure and and best practice bundle deployment has resulted in an 11% decrease in volume of infections. Each day, Carrie is helping save lives in the Greater Dayton community.