Through our compassionate and talented people, we live out our mission each and every day–in both small gestures and large moments. This month, we’re recognizing 11 team members as Employees of the Month for practicing one or more of our values as they carry out our mission.
Employee of the Month recognizes the people you love to work with. The winners exhibit Kettering Health’s Standards of Behavior, live out our values, and demonstrate the healing presence practices outlined in Called to Care.
Thank you for impacting the lives of those in our community by fulfilling our mission. Our work wouldn’t be possible without you!
Continue reading to see the nomination stories and photos for our February Employees of the Month.
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being competent in her work
“Heather is absolutely excellent in her role! Her detailed nature, organization, clear communication, and fast responses make recruiting, enrolling, and registering the RN-to-BSN students that I advise so much more efficient and effective. Heather is always willing to dig for more information, reach out to a student multiple times, and go above and beyond to support me as an advisor. Her positive attitude and friendly nature create a wonderful experience for prospective students as they consider choosing our program. Thank you, Heather! I love working with you!”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being competent and collaborative in her work
“Amy is the definition of a team player. She never hesitates to help her co-workers with daily assignments and patient care, often without being asked. She is kind, caring, and extremely knowledgeable of our specialty. She provides consistent, empathetic care to our special patient population. She is ALWAYS doing more than what is required of her, going above and beyond. She executes every task wholeheartedly. She provides support and encouragement to the RNs and medical assistants, and even our physicians. She is an expert in oncology nursing, providing her co-workers with a reliable resource for learning. She answers questions and offers guidance without judgment and provides constructive feedback to improve patient care/outcomes and team rapport. She is always sure to address all her patients’ needs and does so with kindness and compassion. Amy has made a lasting impression on me and makes me a better nurse each day I work with her. It goes without saying that we are extremely lucky to have her as part of our team. She is an active role model for our team and represents our mission and values.”
“Amy is an amazing co-worker. She is always so helpful, kind, and patient. She is always professional and caring with patients. If Amy ever has a bad day, no one will ever know it. As a new employee Amy helped greatly with my transition. I appreciate her so much!”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being caring in her work
“When leaving at the end of her shift, Cami greeted a patient waiting at the entrance to Kettering Health Greene Memorial. The patient stated that he had just been discharged and was waiting for a ride. His wife was trying to get a taxi or Uber and had been unsuccessful. Cami was concerned for his welfare as it was very cold, he was on oxygen, and seemed frail. She gave him a ride to his home in Yellow Springs, helping him carry his oxygen tank to get through the snow in front of his home. Cami noticing a patient in need and providing assistance is an awesome example of service.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being competent in his work
“Steve goes above and beyond to serve our patients every day. We consistently get compliments from patients about Steve and how great he is at placing lines to where they do not have pain. In addition, Steve took it upon himself to order midlines for use at Kettering Health Hamilton for more difficult patients that would normally need a PICC line. Steve has really taken ownership of central line management, consistently looking for other options that are safer for our patients. This impacts our patients by reducing the chances of them developing serious infections or other complications. We are blessed to have Steve as part of our team as he always puts patient safety as a priority.”
“He goes over and above to advocate for patient safety and helps the nursing and medical staff make the decision about what line is most appropriate for the patient. Sometimes a provider will say “put a PICC in” and really what they want is access. Steve is great at advising what is the least risky device for the situation. Also, nursing will many times just need an IV placed because the patient is a hard stick and Steve is ALWAYS helpful with doing their plain IVs.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being innovative and caring in her work
“Jill is one of the most thoughtful nurses I have worked with. Every month, Jill works on decorating our unit and she makes quilts for each season. She is very skilled in crafting the quilts and has little figurines to decorate and set on the quilts. Not only does Jill do this for our unit, but she has also made several quilts for team members for special occasions, such as a new baby, or sometimes she makes a quilt for someone, “just because.” We love having Jill as a member of the CDU. She is a very experienced nurse and very helpful to others. She has a lot of spirit, decorates our unit, and I love to see her wear her festive jewelry. Thank you, Jill, for being such a wonderful person!”
“Jill has always had the neatest quilts. She makes a quilt for every holiday! I look forward to seeing what she brings in!”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being collaborative in his work
“Matt assisted with a coded patient and followed up with existing patients regarding any needs they may have had while all other staff was busy. He did not have to be told what to do. He is always so helpful! We need to acknowledge him for his selfless behavior because it improves patient care. It means a lot to have a team member willing to help in any way, such as cleaning rooms, something as simple as grabbing a blanket for a patient for comfort, assisting with lifting, and helping when we have unconscious coding patients.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being collaborative in her work
“Heather is a wonderful nurse and nurse leader. I never feel alone when I work with her. She checks in with floor staff regularly and is always looking for ways to help. She goes out of her way to ensure that patients and staff are taken care of. She truly does bring light and fresh air to those she works with. I really appreciate that when I ask for help, Heather doesn’t just give advice but she also is willing to step in and provide physical hands-on assistance. Whether it’s helping with an admission, wound care, or drawing labs, I know I can count on Heather to be there to help. No matter how stressful a shift might be, Heather keeps calm and composed, and her presence makes me feel safe as a nurse when I’m working with her.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being collaborative in her work
“Micki embodies everything that Kettering Health stands for. She is the ultimate team player and has been a constant example of consistency and reliability for many years. She treats every patient with compassion and is an excellent teammate. Micki consistently offers to see other therapist’s patients when her schedule falls apart, assists the front office with any task they may need, and does absolutely everything she can for patients. Last year marked the sixth or seventh holiday Christmas party that Micki has put on for the clinic. Every year, she commits a lot of extra time to ensuring the staff has a blast. Many staff members look forward to Micki putting together the holiday party every year and Micki didn’t disappoint in 2022. Micki has added extraordinary value to every clinic she’s worked, and she is as warm, caring, hardworking, creative, competent, and fun-loving of a person as you’ll ever meet. Thank you, Micki, for everything you bring to our clinic and I really appreciate everything that you do!!”
“Micki is a true asset to our department. She is certified and treats both pelvic patients at Cornerstone and outpatient therapy patients at Yankee. She is the lead of our region one “Fun Squad” focusing on team engagement, community involvement, and mission work. She is loved by her patients and peers, and her smile and laugh bring joy to all those around her. I am truly blessed to have her on my team.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being innovative and collaborative in her work
“Heather brought so much joy to our office and our patients the entire month of December. She brought in “Everest,” our office elf, and assisted him with wonderful displays and treats and the true Christmas spirit for us all during the entire month leading up to Christmas Eve. From Everest arriving on a Tuesday in his taco truck to provide the office with walking tacos for lunch, to a hot cocoa bar that they served up with sweet treats for us, to Christmas chair covers with our names on them all, Heather went above and beyond. On December 9, he arrived in a karate outfit to celebrate a team member’s birthday who teaches martial arts. On Everest’s last day, he stood watch like a shepherd to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas, our Savior’s birth. Heather’s kind and generous heart through all this fun brought smiles to the staff and patients with daily displays of that childlike Christmas magic. It reminded me of the blessing it is to work for a faith-based organization. Heather shows up every day and lives the Kettering Health mission by improving the quality of life of our patients and staff.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being collaborative in his work
“Greg is the very embodiment of all the Kettering Health values in one. His caring and compassionate nature for his co-workers and the patients we serve deserves recognition. We are very lucky to have someone so competent, collaborative, and innovative to jump in and help us out when Remisol goes down. Whenever there is a problem with the laboratory interfaces, Greg is quick to help out no matter what hour the distress call goes out, and whether he is working or not. Greg recently spent all night working with the IS department to get interfaces back up and running even though he was on holiday vacation and is normally works the daytime shift. Greg has helped me personally with Remisol issues whenever I have asked, even though I don’t work in the chemistry area of the lab that he oversees. It really builds morale organizationally to know that when these issues pop up, we aren’t in it alone. Greg’s selfless nature and willingness to help, day or night, no matter the department, really inspires other employees. His actions have a tremendous value to our patient quality and care. When interfaces are down, this has the potential to threaten the timeliness of results. His quick actions to get us back up and running gets providers the information they need faster so they can make the decisions needed to care for our patients. He also helps alleviate the labor strain involved with the manual entry process by responding as quickly as he does. Thank you so much Greg for all that you do that must often seem unseen.”
“Greg is very caring and seeks to understand the needs of the team he supports when asked for help. He is always willing to collaborate and make adjustments that will benefit the team and patient care. Greg is a huge asset to our laboratory team. He always goes out of his way to be helpful and kind while juggling many projects at any given time. There have been many times that Greg has assisted me personally since becoming a manager whether it’s helping train a new supervisor on a specific task, setting up data files and building connections between myself and our vendors, or ensuring our new sites are compliant with all CAP and ACHC requirements as part of his chemistry specialty.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being competent and caring in her work
“I have witnessed Essie working solo on the weekends on multiple occasions and she is ALWAYS pleasant with the staff and guests. Though there may be a longer wait in the check-out line or a longer wait for grilled items, Essie’s positive attitude sets the tone for the entire cafeteria. I’ve noticed her customers seem at ease waiting for her because she is so obviously a great worker who serves from the heart. Today she told me, “I don’t like working alone but I love my job.” She didn’t even need to say it because I can see it. Her actions display the heart and compassion of Kettering Health. Despite her working circumstances, she greets every one of her customers with pleasantries. She serves each person from the heart and that just makes all the food taste better. Thanks, Essie! You make my whole day better!”