The Employee of the Month Award recognizes the people you love to work with. These winners show exhibit Kettering Health’s Standards of Behavior, live out our values, and demonstrate the healing presence practices outlined in Called to Care.
You can read the nomination stories of the June Employees of the Month below. Congratulations to all of our recipients!
Christina Allison – MedSurg, Soin Medical Center
“This star RN has quality of life in mind for every patient. We recently cared for a married couple on the COVID-19 floor with a significant wedding anniversary coming up. Because one was much sicker than the other, they were in separate rooms, not able to see each other. Christina initiated an anniversary get together for the patients. Her care and compassion for the patients drove her to collaborate with the care team to bring the couple together on their anniversary. It was a hectic day, but she said she would make it happen and she did! This led the way for subsequent visits that allowed the couple to be together up until one passed. Christina’s actions reminded everyone that no matter how overwhelmed you may feel during your shift, it’s important to remember the souls you are caring for.”
Lakia Pulliam – Heart & Vascular, Kettering Physician Network
“Lakia is a great team player and willing to take on any task that is asked of her. She supports all the members of the team and enjoys taking the time to help or educate on ways to improve. She always has a smile on her face, and you can tell that she truly cares about the patients. Lakia embodies many of the characteristics of what a Kettering Health team member should have. Recently, Lakia had an elderly gentleman call who was very confused about the medications he was taking. She spent a great deal of time with him going over the medications and trying to help him understand what he was taking. Once she was done talking to him, she contacted his primary care providers office and notified them of this patient and determined it was best for the patient to be seen in-office. She called the patient back and talked to him about this and helped him schedule an appointment at his primary care providers office.”
Rhonda Lemons – Environmental Services, Kettering Network Services
“Rhonda is a long-term employee who is excellent at her job. She is great at multitasking and makes everyone feel like they are important and cared for. She is usually the first point of contact someone has with EVS at Kettering Health, and she is always happy to help anyone in need. She makes sure everyone gets paid, keeps track of everyone’s attendance records, screens all phones calls, takes care of bed board, files, and a multitude of other duties daily that we may not see, but would miss if she was not doing them in the background. She knows the department and staff so well and is always the go to person for information for us all. She is a wealth of knowledge about EVS and is a great asset to the department. She has worked at Kettering for many years in the EVS department and knows what the department and staff needs are. She is a devoted co-worker, and we are blessed beyond measure to be able to work with her. She is a positive influence on everyone. Rhonda is a very valuable employee to our EVS department. We are blessed to have her on our team!”
Laura Gillespie – Outpatient Therapy, Kettering Health Washington Township
“Laura lives the Kettering Health mission every day with how she interacts with the patients they serve at this department. Laura is always friendly, greets the patient with a smile and shows general compassion towards the patient. Due to the services provided, many patients are fearful about coming to pelvic therapy. She does an amazing job reassuring the patient and putting them at ease. A recent example was when Laura was scheduling a patient that she could tell was struggling personally and physically. The patient was tearful and explained to Laura that her husband who was living in a skilled-nursing facility recently died and she felt sad and hopeless. Laura immediately tried to console the patient and told her she would add her to her prayer list at her church. She also gave the patient the contact information for the chaplains at Kettering Health. Then, Laura helped to organize purchasing the patient a beautiful orchid and card.”
Cynthia “CJ” Mayo – Lab Services, Kettering Health Piqua
“CJ is incredibly easy to work with. She has been optimistic, pragmatic, and upbeat during the staffing shortages since she stepped into her new supervisor role. She goes out of her way to ensure we work as a team and are all on the same page. Not only does she uphold Kettering Health’s core values, but she makes coming to work fun! In her short time as supervisor, she has already implemented change. For example, we now have “Donut Friday!” She listens to our feedback and takes action. I am happy to come to work and be a part of the positive impact she is making. I also want to thank Kettering Health for seeing something in her and giving her the chance to take this role. She is crushing it!”
Dave Branch – Plant Engineering, Kettering Health Middletown
“Dave is always willing to step up when others need help. He is proactive in his approach by routinely checking in with staff and anticipating their needs. From day one, Dave has hit the ground running. When we opened, there were facility items that needed attention and Dave worked diligently to reorganize the Plant Engineering area and create a more efficient workspace. Staff at Middletown were not used to the level of follow up and quick turnaround, and within two weeks of Dave starting, he received positive feedback regarding his communication when issues came up and his commitment to following up until issues were resolved. He recently went above and beyond to help an 85-year-old guest of our facility change a flat tire so he could get home safely. Dave’s willingness to lend a helping hand and extend kindness towards others, outside of his daily duties, exemplifies our culture of caring.”
Alice Hunter – Patient Transport, Kettering Health Main Campus
“Alice always has a great attitude and works very hard to do what is best for the patient. Alice’s competence of transporting and informing patients of where they are going and giving the family members directions in how to find their loved one’s room and how to leave the hospital in a compassionate and caring way does not go unnoticed.”
Nicole Wilson – 4 Main, Kettering Health Hamilton
“Nicole goes above and beyond as a nursing assistant. She will go the extra mile to pick up shifts when she knows the floor will be short. She will call to come in and willingly be the only aide on the floor for over 30 patients and still put on a smiling face. She is dependable and always takes care of her assigned patient load as well as helps with any other patient that is not assigned to her. Nicole is a staple to this floor, and we could not provide the care we do without her incredible selflessness and willingness to help.”
Kourtney Stauffer – Environmental Services, Kettering Health Greene Memorial
“I was rounding when a visitor approached Kourtney for directions. Kourtney was so polite and helpful! She stopped what she was doing and escorted the patient to Radiology. Kourtney’s route is in the main entrance area along with radiology, so she gets stopped several times a day with request of a location or person. With a smile on her face, she takes them where needed. Thank you, Kourtney, for helping our patients and visitors navigate our facility! Kourtney makes it a lot less stressful on our visitors that may be confused on where to go and puts a smile back on their face while doing so!”
Timothy Myers – Nursing Administration, Kettering Health Behavioral Medical Center
“Tim often changes his schedule and picks up shifts to help staff out. During the snowstorm, he was scheduled to be off of work and was actually enjoying dinner with his wife. He received a call that his co-worker was stuck and couldn’t get into work that evening. Without another thought, Tim came in to help out his team. He also worked with me that night on how to handle someone that was on orientation. He is always willing to help me and work with the orientees. I appreciate how much he loves and cares about the patients and the staff. We are lucky to have him as part of the team. I think staff feel secure and safe when Tim is on duty. He will take charge and de-escalate a potential scary situation. I know that if I call him for help with the new employees, he will always do as I ask and has a great attitude about it. Thank you for all that you do!”
Tiffany Parks – Women’s Center, Kettering Health Dayton
“Tiffany is such an amazing addition to our little clinic with her hard work, positive attitude, and caring heart. She is like a burst of sunshine with how she always smiles and radiates her beautiful spirit, which uplifts our staff and patients. Our patients love her and know that they can call her anytime with their questions and concerns and she will do her best to address every need.”