The Employee of the Month Award recognizes the people you love to work with. These winners show exceptional performance as defined by the network’s Standards of Behavior, live out the network’s values, and demonstrate the healing presence practices outlined in Called to Care.
You can read the nomination stories and view the pictures of the October Employees of the Month below. Congratulations to all of our recipients!
Mokamad Benito – Environmental Services, Fort Hamilton Hospital
“Mo is always ready to work, and he stops what he is doing to help others. If he sees someone in the hall with trash, he always takes it and throws it away for you. He does the same with cardboard boxes. Mo will let you take the elevator before him and he never has a bad thing to say about anybody or complaints about his work. His actions are positive because he really helps me out and saves us time! He is one of the hardest workers I have ever met. He is a great asset to the hospital and deserves to be recognized.”
Ed Worrell – Inpatient Therapy, Greene Memorial Hospital
“Ed alternates weeks at Greene and Soin. The rehab coordinator and team leads for both hospitals are based at Soin, therefore Ed handles the day to day communications, ensures that the caseload is seen, and helps to prioritize the caseload when Soin needs staffing and Greene’s caseload is low. He never says ‘no’. In addition to working full time, he works every other weekend. He was one of the first therapists on the COVID unit at Soin and he was one of the first to get vaccinated. He is always ready to jump in and help. He often drives between facilities daily due to caseload at Greene and Soin. He is an outstanding coworker and is truly one of our ‘unsung heroes’.”
Breann Lawson – Operating Room, Grandview Medical Center
“Bre is a team player who is always willing to step up and help out when our team needs it. Even when she is faced with challenging or complex situations, she is able to problem solve and work through them. She has been filling in and helping out the heart and vascular team, and has helped us get through some really tough and busy days over the last few weeks. We are so thankful to have team members like Bre! Her actions positively impact the operating room and our vascular team by helping us spread out the work and get our cases done on really crazy days.”
Jennifer Hockenberry – Adult Psych, Kettering Behavioral Medicine Center
“Jeni goes above and beyond to make patients feel welcome and supported even when things get busy. We had three admissions back to back within 30 minutes and a fourth admission arrived as the nurses were working to finish their earlier admissions. Jeni took the time to meet with the newest admit, give her a tour of the unit, and get her settled in. Later that same day, again Jeni spent one on one time with another of her patients who was having a rough day and needed some extra care and attention. She is a great, caring nurse and a huge benefit to our patients. Jeni’s positive attitude and calm disposition help keep staff moral up and puts patients at ease!”
Rosalie Koesel – Core Lab, Kettering Medical Center
“Rosalie has been working for the network for 41 years and there is no question about her dedication and contribution to the Core Lab. While working as a part-time employee, however, she makes herself available anytime the lab is in need. She often works more than her scheduled hours to help with short staff issues or when someone has called off. She even volunteered to come in on her days off to train herself in the new area. Rosalie never stops learning and bettering herself every day. Besides working her benches, she also helps re-organize the Core Lab and constantly cleans up after others. She always stays over after her shift hours to make sure all stock items are put away appropriately, such as stored refrigerated versus room temperature. Another task that Rosalie currently does is managing inventory for the coagulation area. She makes sure we get everything we need and notifies the appropriate person when issues arrive.
I am grateful that Rosalie has never said ‘no’ anytime I come to her for help. I cannot image the lab without Rosalie. She is not only a fabulous employee, but also an excellent mentor and co-worker to have. She also cares deeply about her co-worker’s emotional state. Whenever someone in the lab has a family member pass away, immediately you will see a sympathy card passed around for everyone to sign. More than that, she used her own money to order flowers to send to the funeral home with ‘the Core Lab’ name on it. She is full of energy and she always participates in celebrating co-worker’s birthdays, hosting bridal showers, and baby showers at her own house. What else can we ask of Rosalie? All her co-workers are so pleased to work with her physically and emotionally. Because Rosalie is always going out of her way to help others, everyone is now working better as a team. For example, the Core Lab is now having a little birthday fun to celebrate everyone’s birthdays. Additionally, instead of leaving stock in the hallway with a hope that someone is willing to stay after their shift over to put them away, everyone is now trying to take on this task whenever they have a free moment regardless of what area they are in for the day so that no one must stay after to do this task alone. Overall, the Core Lab has become stronger working together as a team thanks to Rosalie.”
David Price – Humanities, Kettering College
“David is instrumental here at Kettering College in his role as a marshal for convocation and graduation. He has been voluntarily serving in this role for over 15 years. David is always willing to go that extra step to make sure convocation and graduation come off without a single glitch. It is not just about ensuring the marching order is correct for students, faculty, staff, dignitaries, board members, and stage party, but also making sure the music changes at the correct time during the procession, that the risers have enough chairs for each student, and that the stage is set for hooding, diplomas, and pictures. David frequently arrives hours before the other marshals just to make sure convocation and graduation will run smoothly, and every time the ceremonies are flawless. This past year with COVID was challenging for all but David still attended two rehearsals and two graduations for both the radiology and occupational therapy programs at Southbrook in April, and the rehearsal and graduation at the Schuster Center in July.”
Kristi Hinton – Employee Health, Kettering Network Services
“Kristi goes above and beyond her job duties to help her fellow teammates. She is always in good spirits and never complains no matter how many times you ask her a question. She has worked diligently to get the new Agility program running and continues to assist her coworkers daily with questions they have on entering data and retrieving it. She has more patience and knowledge than anyone I know when it comes to Employee Health and will go out of her way to make you feel comfortable. Kristi sets everyone’s minds at ease when working with our programs and giving assistance where it is needed. She is a great asset and deserves recognition for all her hard work and endless hours. It is a pleasure to work with Kristi.”
Rachel Quante – PC Oxford, Kettering Physician Network
“Rachel has been such a huge asset not only to our office but to our entire region. She is proficient in referrals and at the beginning of the pandemic, she took on additional offices to handle their referrals within our region and did so masterfully. She has taken the initiative to learn all roles in the office. She will lend a helping hand at the front office and utilize her CMA certification to assist with clinical needs. She is the epitome of a team player and leader. She sets the tone for team work and lending a helping hand, finding the opportunity for care for those around you with positive encouragement and selflessness. It truly is an honor to work with her and the network is blessed to have such a bright employee.”
Carolyn Irwin – Inpatient Therapy, Sycamore Medical Center
“Carolyn and I were in the middle of working with a patient when the physician came in the room and started to have talks of hospice with patient. This patient had a poor prognosis but was relatively young and had a young daughter at home. It was a very emotional, and everyone in the room was trying to hold it together for the patient, but we were all mother’s in the room and were absolutely heartbroken for this patient. We pulled ourselves together after the doctor left, and Carolyn, without missing a beat, remained professional and adaptable. This patient wanted nothing more that day than to shave her legs. So, we assisted her to the side of the bed and Carolyn shaved the patient’s legs for her. I know this is a part of our jobs, but I think Carolyn’s kindness to this woman who had just had to have very difficult conversations with her doctor and sister, was something I think this patient will take with her. I just really appreciated Carolyn in that moment. She’s always very adaptable and specifies treatment to meet the patient’s needs. Carolyn always treats every patient, no matter cognition, diagnosis, prognosis, etc. with respect and consideration to their dignity.”
Dena Thacker – Infusion Center, Southview Medical Center
“Dena is always professional, greets patients with a smile, and makes them feel welcome. She is a team player who consistently goes above and beyond in caring for her patients. She stayed over for three hours to care for a patient that needed the new Regeneron infusion that was ordered for a patient. After numerous delays with the orders and where the patient was to receive the infusion, she went to the emergency department and gave the patient his treatment and she stayed with him until the infusion was completed. She knew how to provide this new treatment because she picked up hours on her day off to train at the COVID Infusion Center as she knew we were extremely busy. She did not pick up hours because she needed them, she picked up hours because she was needed by the team. Had she not worked over at the COVID Infusion Center, she may not have been comfortable administering this medication. She is a role model for all of the staff. She makes us want to be like her and set our standards high and make giving the best care our goal. Dena, we appreciate all that you do in caring for your patients. You are a shining star.”
Emily Kloth – Emergency Room, Soin Medical Center
“Emily was seeing leaving her shift and crossed paths with a mother and her two small children rushing from the back of the ED parking lot. The mother was carrying one small child bleeding from her forehead and holding the hand of another child. Emily stopped with me to assist the mother and offered to sit with smaller child until someone could come get her because of the hospital policy. The mother was able to go back with the minor to be seen and Emily helped prevent delay of care for child by reassuring the mom that she would sit with her other child. Emily went above and beyond to assist a family in need so that the minor child could be seen by a physician. She waited with other child and kept her occupied until a family member could come and get them. Even though Emily was ‘off the clock’, she took time after her day to help the family in need.”
Matiese Stachler – Emergency Department, Troy Hospital
“Matiese is a hardworking nurse in the emergency department. She is quick to help others, whether it’s switching her schedule or helping with other assignments as much as she can. Matiese will go out of her way to help patients find a ride home or by calling family for them. Just recently, Matiese used her own money to help a patient in need to purchase clothing and found him resources for work and housing. Matiese goes above and beyond and should be recognized for her compassion and hard work! Matiese has years of experience in emergency care and it shows. She is quick to act and an excellent example and mentor for those around her. I have seen several instances where Matiese’s rapid assessments and knowledge have provided positive outcomes for our patients and for their families. She is, quite literally, a lifesaver. Keep it up, Matiese!”
Do you know someone who is a Kettering Health Star? Help us honor them by telling their story in the Kettering Health Stars form, located in the MyHR portal.