The constellation award recognizes strong teams that come together to serve patients and each other. They demonstrate a calling to care, live the organization’s values, and show exceptional performance as defined by Kettering Health’s Standards of Behavior.
You can read their nomination stories below. Congratulations to our recipients!
Abigail Crowell, Alicia Ledford, Caleb Minett, Beth Thoele, Lucy Xayathone – Kettering Health Dayton
“I want to convey my praise and utmost gratitude to the nursing staff who cared for my father during his recent stay at Kettering Health Dayton. My father was admitted with complications from COVID-19 after two back-to-back month-long stays at two other area hospitals. From the moment he arrived, the nursing staff in the SICU provided exceptional care and they never let up.
“The evening we arrived, Nurse Practitioner Lucy spent most of her shift in dad’s room, ensuring that the necessary tests, scans, etc. were ordered and stat. She was extremely thorough in explaining everything that she observed, as well as her prognosis for my dad. She was wonderful! Lucy ordered scans that the two previous hospitals had not ordered, revealing newly found conditions that were unknown about dad’s health until our arrival at Kettering Health Dayton. She knew I was floored by the severity of my father’s situation, but she conveyed her thoughts in a kind, gentle manner that was very much appreciated. Lucy’s meticulous investigation into dad’s health was remarkable and I am still so very grateful that we had her on his care team.
“Every single nurse that cared for my dad was exceptional. There are a few that I would like to mention by name for being “la crème de la crème”.
Beth was Dad’s nurse the night we arrived, and I could not get over how much energy she displayed throughout her shift that night. She ran around Dad’s room and the ICU floor in a blur like the Tasmanian devil making sure he had everything he needed, always with a smile on her face. Just watching her run around wore me out, but she was magnificent. She was great at keeping me informed of what was going on while being kind and professional the entire time. I was so glad to have had Beth take care of getting dad settled in.
“Dad’s oxygen saturation had plummeted the next day, leaving intubation as the only remaining option to keep him alive. Abigail was his nurse that day and she was nothing short of sensational. She knew my sisters and I had an extremely hard time with the decision to intubate my father and she was exceedingly caring and professional throughout that day. She even stopped in on her subsequent shifts to check in on Dad and see how my sisters and I were doing. Abigail’s charming personality and astute knowledge of nursing make her a phenomenal nurse. I am thankful for all she did for my dad, as well as all she did for my sisters and me in getting through that extraordinarily rough day.
“We were blessed to have had Alicia as Dad’s nurse for two consecutive days. Right out of the chute, it was evident that she has a heart of pure gold. Throughout the course of those two days, dad’s condition did not improve, despite everyone’s best attempts. Alicia was so sweet and benevolent as my fear that Dad wasn’t going to make it turned into a heart-wrenching reality. As Dad’s power of attorney, I was the one who had to make the decision to extubate him and that was the worst decision I have ever had to make. I asked Alicia if she would talk through the situation with me before I made my decision. Not only did she never hesitate to do so, but she also talked with me for almost an hour, showing abundant compassion throughout our conversation. She consoled my sisters and me after Dad was extubated and continued to display her abundant knowledge of nursing while keeping my father comfortable. Alicia is truly admirable. I feel I am pretty good at what I do for work, but I wish I was half as good at my job as Alicia is at hers.
“Caleb took over the next evening in administering end of life care for my father. Caleb has a wonderful personality and showed it during his care for my dad that night. He was accommodating to my sisters and me and ensured that Dad was not suffering, which was the most important thing on my mind that night. He even helped lighten the mood at times that evening, laughing with us as we shared funny stories about our father. Dad passed away around 5:30 a.m. the next morning and I appreciate Caleb’s poise and humility as he cared for my father until his last breath.
“It is evident that the situation with my father did not turn out as anyone would have wanted. His passing has been the worst thing I have had to endure. I am so grateful though for the nursing staff at Kettering Health Dayton in performing their thankless jobs. The care, intelligence, and kindness showed to my dad, my sisters, and me in my father’s final days are something I will never forget. From the bottom of my heart, my sincere thanks go out to everyone who took such extraordinary care of my father.
“I realize the last couple of years have been beyond exhausting for those in the healthcare industry and I am sure the staff at Kettering Health Dayton feel that burden. To the great nurses at Kettering Health Dayton and elsewhere, I say keep going. Don’t stop being the wonderful medical professionals that you are. What you do matters, now more than ever. My hat is off to each of you. God bless you all.”
Chelsea Pitstick, Katie Blocher, Marcia Williams – Kettering Health Greene Memorial, Cedarville Family Practice
“A patient called into the office and I happened to be working the front desk. The patient shared that she was without transportation but was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. I scheduled her for a telehealth appointment and provided her with the instructions to access her visit on her smart phone which she seemed very confused about and questioned if she would be able to figure out how to do the visit by phone. She then stated that she would have to walk to the office to be tested. I shared with the patient that I could send a nurse over to her apartment to swab her so that she wasn’t out walking in the cold. It was 5 degrees that day.
“Marcia Williams, the nurse practitioner that the patient was scheduled to see, was informed of the situation by front office staff and Marcia decided that it would be better to just drive over to the patient’s home and do her visit there instead of trying to get her connected on telehealth. Marcia was also able to perform the patients COVID-19 swab while she was there. A few days later the patient’s results were back, and she was positive. Chelsea had a lengthy conversation with the patient about her situation. The patient recently moved here from out of state. She didn’t have a car and was now COVID-19 positive and in need of supplies to get her through her quarantine.
“Chelsea brought this to my attention and arranged for me to run to Walmart to pick up the needed items. Chelsea then delivered the items to the patient’s door. Last week the patient stopped by the office to show her appreciation for the care she received. She was in tears and just couldn’t believe that we would all go to those lengths to take care of her every need. This is what rural healthcare is all about and it is just one example of the amazing things my staff and providers do to take care of the communities we love so much!”
San Mulgand and Laura Vielbig – Kettering Health Main Campus
“During conversation in a treatment session, San’s patient communicated some concerns for discharge home from the hospital. He lives alone in an independent living facility without friend nor family support. Upon discharge, San elicited the assistance of Laura to visit his home and investigate his needs.
“Since that time, they have been going over on Tuesday afternoons for visits and to assist with organizing his possessions. During these visits, they have noticed that he needs more care than he is receiving in independent living (i.e. paying bills, meal planning). San and Laura did research and found a living relative in Canada. They assisted in re-connecting the two, with the nephew inviting Clarence to move to Canada. In addition to these activities, they have purchased necessities for Clarence, arranged for him to attend a holiday celebration and I’m sure many more things that I am not aware of.”
“About four months ago, San, had met an elderly patient with dire need. The patient had a house full of boxes from a move years ago, required clean clothes, needed help with his overwhelming mail and full voicemail box. The list goes on and on. He accepted San’s offer to help him, but the job was too big for San alone. San knew Laura to be a woman of service, so San approached Laura and asked for her assistance in helping this man. Laura willingly answered the call. They have gone over to this gentleman’s house many times over the last four months to clean, train him on a new cellphone, set up appointments, celebrate Christmas, and bring him clothes and household items. Laura is now #4 on this man’s speed dial! When he needs help, or just someone to talk to, these two answer the call. She and San have done SO MUCH good, loving work!