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 see the photos of the January Employees of the Month below. Congratulations to all of our recipients!
Bobbie Jo Wells – IS AMB & OP Services, ASB
“There was a huge issue with the new COVID-19 tests at the Huber Health Lab. Bobbie Jo discovered that the visit type was missing on the conversion table. She ran a report and found it affected over 500 encounters. After fixing the conversion table, she went in and converted all the encounters so providers could close charts. She’s a rock star!”
Susan Sunderman – IMC Intermediate Care, Fort Hamilton Hospital
“Susan went above and beyond for patient care. While this is not unusual for Susan, this appeared to be an exceptional act of kindness demonstrated by her. Her patient was MRDD with a mindset of a 13-year-old. The patient was hungry and walked to the nurse’s station looking for a snack. When Susan asked the patient what sounded good the patient was very specific and asked for Cheez-Its. While this is not an item we keep on the floor, Susan knew just where to get some. Without hesitation, Susan went to the vending area and purchased the patient a bag of Cheez-Its without hesitation. This absolutely made the patients day. I believe she is absolutely an asset to this network.”
Julia Walton – Emergency & Ambulance Services, Greene Memorial Hospital
“My patient informed me that he did not have money for his prescription. I informed Julia as she was the charge RN for the shift. The patient further explained that he did not have money because his social security check would not be in until Friday. He stated, ‘I have two dollars to my name’. He informed the nursing staff of this after we printed off a coupon. This all happened on Thanksgiving day so resources were limited. Without hesitation, Julia gave this patient the money he needed. She is a shining example of what nursing staff should be! She has a giving heart and loves her patients and coworkers unconditionally. The above is just one example of her love. We do not deserve her heart!”
Katherine Ferrell – Wound Center, Grandview Medical Center
“Katie is one of the most compassionate and dedicated nurses I have had the pleasure to work with. Katie constantly searches for new ideas and ways to improve efficiency. Katie was a vital part of bringing ostomy care to Kettering Health Network. The compassionate care she gives to her wound and ostomy patients daily is shown by the constant positive comments from her patients. Katie also has a heart for education. She enjoys educating new ostomates and helping them gain freedom and control by empowering, encouraging, and supporting them in this new challenge in life. Katie worked diligently with providers from the Kettering Medical Cancer Center and other staff to set up the new ostomy program.”
John Coffey – Co-Occurring Unit, KBMC
“I’m impressed with his standard of excellence in his duties, his problem-solving abilities, and his sincere desire to invest in the patients’ care. John has excellent patient and staff interaction by being well-spoken and caring. He also has great ideas. I believe he will be especially valuable for leading groups. This evening I saw him leaving with the vital signs machine. John explained that we had some patients who were on CIWAs and needed an extra level of attention with their vital sign checks. I rarely have had any tech initiate protocol on this level, and he usually has it down to the minute. John is so helpful with day to day tasks which makes it an easy night, and we know everyone received the best care.”
Barbara Jenkins – Pulmonary Diagnostic Lab, Kettering Medical Center
“A recent patient would like to recognize Barb for her outstanding care. In November, she had an appointment at the Pulmonary Diagnostic Lab for an arterial blood gas test. The patient said she always dreads this test, as it can be very painful, to the point she is in tears. Barb was able to do the test without the patient experiencing any pain. Barb kept her calm and at peace. She noticed the patient was a little shaky and out of sorts. The patient is a diabetic, and Barb encouraged her to check her blood sugar, which she did and it was on the low side around 80. Barb gave her some juice and crackers to help her blood sugar to come back up and had her sit for a while before she left. This patient was so relieved that Barb took the extra time to do this for, as she was driving home by herself. The patient stated that Barb may have saved her from an accident or something worse. She feels Barb should be recognized for her kindness and being aware of patients. She is very appreciative.”
Michelle Collins – PC Springboro Remick, Kettering Physician Network
“Michelle has been described as ‘the rock’ in our office. She is the foundation that we have come to depend on in these difficult times. Not only is she able to handle the many duties of the front office with a smile on her face, but she also manages to go above and beyond for our patients and staff in so many ways. Michelle is thoughtful and kind in each of her interactions with our patients, and ensures they all receive the best care possible. Michelle is always the first to volunteer to coordinate celebrations or other commemorative events. Her thoughtful gestures to make us feel special do not go unnoticed. Recently, our office has been understaffed and strained due to the pandemic. Michelle has rose to the occasion and stepped up to help tackle the challenges we are presented with daily; all with a positive and caring attitude. It is difficult to find employees that care so much about not only our patients but also fellow co-workers.”
Amy Mitchell – Patient Access – EPIC & T, Prestige
“Amy took it upon herself to step up and take on a lot of additional responsibilities and help lead our ASST training team. She is a self-taught trainer, who has increased her knowledge and skill level to help support and educate all users that uses Epic’s front-end modules. Amy created countless last-minute resources while continuing to teach classes and support end users with their workflow needs. In preparation for our Epic upgrades for Grand Central & Cadence, Amy reviewed all Nova notes for training needs and prepared the slide deck for the users. She willingly accepts any assignment no matter how difficult or challenging with a servant spirit, always wanting to help whenever and however it is needed. Sometimes leaders in the network reach out directly to her, requesting new resources or communication that needs go out in a timely manner. Without any complaints or passing it off on another member of team, she jumps into action. Amy is the first person on the team to volunteer for assignments or cover for another team member when they are out unexpectedly. Amy lives out the mission of the network daily. She contributes to making our department a positive workplace by sharing motivational chats, clipart, and poems through our morning chat in Teams. She continually builds people up by sending them Shooting Stars for the help they gave her or sharing a bible scripture when someone needs it the most. When I try to give her compliments about her work or positive personality, she always tells me very humbly it is not her but the Lord. I am forever grateful to have Amy on the team.”
Deanna Williams – Emergency Room, Sycamore Medical Center
“Deanna is an excellent employee. She has been a RN for over 20 years. She is caring and competent on a consistent basis, and is always willing to work additional hours when staff is needed. She is respected by other staff and is a strong lead when in charge. Recently, Deanna helped get a patient’s belongings to them after being transferred to another facility. A patient had left behind a bag of belongings after leaving Franklin ED. When this was discovered, the department was going to call a courier service to pick up the patient’s belongings to have them dropped off. Deanna volunteered to help get their belongings when they left them behind. She saved our department from having to charge a courier fee to our cost center by dropping them off on her way home after her shift.”
Jennifer Buchholz – Cath Lab, Soin Medical Center
“Jennifer helped a patient receive care that has been delayed due to COVID-19 complicating health care. She went above and beyond to reach out to find what the patient’s needs were, and to accommodate for those needs so the patient could receive the care needed. She found care for the patient’s service dog, and a ride to and from the hospital where the patient was to receive care. This is the care that Kettering Health Network stands for. This is an excellent representation of the reaching out to the community and serving the people, creating a better health care experience.”
Rebecca Shope – Infusion Center, Southview Medical Center
“I took my mother for her first iron infusion. She was extremely nervous due to several other health concerns. This is all new territory for my mother as she has been dealing with other heart conditions her whole life. My mother has a fear of needles due to all the medical testing she has had over the course of her past and current illnesses. Rebecca really listened to her concerns and made sure she was very gentle with her. My mother was so impressed with how she listened and understood her concerns. I have never seen my mother at such ease while having medical treatment. I was not only impressed with how she handled my mother’s care, but it was the extra step she took during the treatment. I take care of both my parents and was tag teaming both of their care that day. My father had to have a CT scan in the main hospital while my mother was having the infusion. When my father was done we went back to check on my mom. My dad stayed in the lobby waiting area while I went back to sit with my mother. While I was back with her, Rebecca checked on my father several times and brought him coffee just to make sure he was okay. That right there spoke volumes to me. I thought, ‘Wow, this nurse is not only taking care of the patient but she is truly going out of her way to make sure my father was taken care of as well and he wasn’t even the patient’. It’s not always the big things that you do for a patient and their family but the small things that can matter just as much. I strongly believe Rebecca is what this network is based on and she really does live the mission of what this network is about. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring for not only my mother but for my father as well.”
Do you know someone who is a Network Star? Help us honor them by telling their story in the Network Stars form, located in the MyHR portal.