As a faith-based healthcare organization, we seek to display our values in every interaction with our patients, our fellow co-workers, and our community. 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 January Employees of the Month.
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being caring and collaborative in her work
“Debbie is such a hard worker! She works very hard at maintaining the supply room in the IPE simulation center which sometimes looks like a tornado went through it! She ensures that all students have the proper supplies they need by watching the supply levels and placing orders when indicated, which is not something she has to do. She teaches in the IPE simulation center using her expertise to show students procedures. But that is not all she does! Debbie is the leader of the course for students in their last semester which is a lot to juggle. She has students located all over Kettering Health and at Dayton Children’s Hospital. She holds high standards for these students because she knows that they represent Kettering College, and this is important to her. She is also the assistant educator to the pharmacy division. Above all else, and even though her plate is often overflowing, she will take time out to just talk. When someone needs a pat on the back, a hand on their shoulder, or a hand to hold, Debbie is there. Thank you, Debbie, for all you do.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being innovative and collaborative in her work
“Mandie has been pivotal in assisting our team with a new and updated Epic workflow over the course of the year. This workflow is a new process for pending admissions. Mandie assisted with adding screenshots and troubleshooting issues. She was a positive influence when we rolled out the transport algorithm which was also a new work process for our team.
Mandie consistently provides excellent care to our patients. She will point out quality and safety concerns. Mandie is often asked to help other sites with patient workflows related to Epic or other computer processes demonstrating that she is a team player. Her teammates describe her as very pleasant, patient, and supportive. Mandie has a very even temperament which I’ve never observed to get rattled. She is a steady hand during a very difficult third shift for my team. She will flex to any site and is comfortable working in any environment. She is a strong patient advocate, often bringing concerns to me when she observes opportunities to improve our service.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being caring and collaborative in her work
“Our patients are always mentioning how wonderful Lori is and that she goes above and beyond for them. She delivers the patients their meals but doesn’t stop there. She will take time to help open containers and help the patients reach their trays. Lori takes the time necessary to make sure the patients can eat. She will ask the nursing staff if it’s okay before she gets extra drinks or food for a patient to make sure it won’t interfere with their care needs. Lori truly does care about our patients and their healing process. She is a great asset to the staff and patients at Kettering Health Greene Memorial.
Lori’s job is not just to prepare and deliver food to the patients and volunteers, she makes sure that the patients are safe and have what they need when she delivers the meals. If a patient does not like or want the food they are given, Lori will give them a few options to choose from to make sure the patients are getting the best nutrition for their unique recovery process. Thank you, Lori, for all of your hard work and dedication to our patients.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being caring in her work
“Jeannie was getting a wheelchair to discharge a patient home when she saw a gentleman on a bench foaming at the mouth. Jeannie and a visitor at the hospital, who was a nurse, moved the patient to the ground and started CPR. The patient was taken to the emergency department, but ended up in his eternal resting place. Jeannie took action to attempt to save a life. Jeannie’s choosing to do the right thing by taking action impacted those around her as they could see the impact that can be made when you help someone else at a moment when you least expect it.”
“Jeannie went above and beyond in this situation. Although it was in the hospital, it was similar to out-of-hospital CPR because of the lack of resources immediately available. Even though she’s trained in BLS, not everyone would have jumped into action like she did. Jeannie is also mentioned by family members of patients for her care. It takes a lot for a family member to individually fill out a form for a staff member, so that shows the value of Jeannie’s character.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being innovative and caring in her work
“There was a patient on the Cardiothoracic Care Unit (CTCU) whose condition was declining. His daughter was to be married that upcoming weekend, but they were afraid he would not be able to come. They asked to perform the wedding in his room. We wanted a cake, but the cafeteria was closed, as well as the Fresco. We went to the kitchen and told Alvarado the story. She said they did not have a cake, “but I will make sure you have one in 15 minutes!” She stopped what she was doing and put together a beautiful cake, personalized for the couple. Her sincere care for this couple and the patient was evident when she heard the story. She demonstrated the heart of our mission, to meet the needs of our patients however we can—including to make an emergency wedding as “normal” as we could.”
“When asked to make a wedding cake for a patient for a last-minute request, she stepped up and made one. It was very well done, and she had it done in no time. Alvarado always has a great attitude and enjoys making other people happy.”
“She went out of her way to make a special wedding cake for a patient and their family. Two team members from Administration came looking to see if someone could help them as the patient was not doing well and they needed help. I tried to assist them, but once Aracelis was asked, she jumped in and went the extra mile for our patient and the staff helping the patient. Her actions were amazing, as was the cake. She did an awesome job in very little time to make it happen for our staff and patient even without skipping a beat and getting the job done. She is one of the STARS of the bakery and is the best and brightest!!”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being collaborative and caring in her work
“On a Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m., the Outpatient Rehab Medicine department experienced an “unnatural disaster” when we had sewage backup within our patient treatment area. Fortunately, it was after patient hours, however, it still required immediate attention. Darlene handled everything in a very prompt, professional manner, and helped to coordinate the required support of Plant Engineering and Environmental Services. This kept her well past her scheduled hours, but by being here and taking the action she did, it helped to prevent an even bigger disaster. Thanks, Darlene! Her actions not only on this date, but every day, impact our team immeasurably.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being collaborative and competent in her work
“I cannot begin to say enough about how Julie carries out our values each and every day. She is by far the one employee you can count on to go above and beyond her expected duties. Julie keeps this place running, and without her it would fall apart. When surveyors showed up, they specifically said this was the cleanest facility they had ever seen. Julie shows the initiative to be a dependable, trustworthy, and most of all, VITAL, part of our team here at Kettering Health Piqua. She works beside us all, helping in whatever way she possibly can. Never once have I seen her “take an easy day.” She is constantly moving and working her tail off. She deserves more than just this honor. It’s not just me nominating her for this award, but the entire crew here. She carries herself in such grace and kindness. She is the epitome of Kettering Health’s values, and so much more. Julie is the sweetest person. We can always count on her for a smile and a kind word. We are truly blessed to have her here on our team. She keeps this place looking amazing, cleaning every nook and cranny. In return, this keeps patients happy and eager to come back for any of their healthcare needs. We appreciate everything she does, whether she realizes it or not. I cannot place into words our gratitude.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being caring and competent in her work
“Erica was nominated by a physician with a letter sent to her nursing leaders.
The letter stated that the care Erica provided a patient in the Labor and Delivery department of Maternity was outstanding and over and beyond, in order to prevent what may have been an unwanted situation. Erica showed her experience, patience, and level of expertise in delivering this mom within 20 minutes after noticing she was not progressing in her delivery. The physician believes this to exemplify the type of employee that Kettering Health strives to have here. The physician says, “she is a role model for your other employees to aspire to be as one of excellence, compassion, knowledge, respect, friendliness, and dignity.” He could not say enough good things about her and recommended that Erica should be acknowledged for a special award to honor her! This nomination totally exemplifies a role model of the caring and compassion each and every staff member should feel toward patients.”
“She is so supportive of our very young and new staff. She is passionate about movement and positioning during labor to facilitate vaginal deliveries as this situation proves. She is teaching our staff her methods to prevent surgical intervention with our patients! Dr. Pawlosky was so impressed with her work with his patient, he sent these letters out for her to everyone.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being caring and competent in her work
“Sandra was scheduling one of our patients through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Project (BCCP) which is a program dedicated to underserved women. The patient had lost her insurance this past year and had been putting off being seen for some concerning symptoms that she could no longer ignore. Sandra understands this program and she took the time to gather all the appropriate information and worked with our provider to get this patient added on the schedule in two days. The provider schedule was already over capacity and had reached the capacity for new patients as well. The provider agreed with Sandra that this was a priority and the patient needed to be added, as the patient had not been seen in several years. The patient was understandably quite anxious. Sandra scheduled with the BCCP program coordinator and then took it upon herself to personally reach out and reassure the patient. The patient was so appreciative. Sandra is the epitome of kindness and caring in how she works with all patients–a reflection of our mission in every phone call. Kindness is truly her superpower. Her compassion to all patients in every situation is felt and appreciated.
Rachel, the BCCP program coordinator, called our patient experience manager to let her know how appreciative she was for Sandra’s effort to schedule this patient, but also, that Sandra took it upon herself to call the patient and reassure her. Adding that little extra touch of compassion is what makes Sandra so special. Patients recognize her sincerity, her genuine concern, and the amount of effort she takes to meet their every need. In this case, it was an extremely busy clinic day. Dr. Peterson was just finishing up from the morning clinic, and Sandra found her and presented the patient’s case, needs and concerns, and why she felt that this warranted a priority visit. There were no open appointments available for months on Dr. Peterson’s schedule. Sandra and Dr. Peterson discussed this, and it was approved to be added. This caused overbooking on an already overbooked Dr. Peterson’s Huber schedule, but Dr. Peterson also agreed that Sandra made a great judgement call. Patient care is our priority and Sandra shows this type of compassion each and every day.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being collaborative and innovative in her work
“When I first started at Kettering Health Dayton, Elizabeth was my trainer and my first experience of the best characteristics a person and employee can have. She has changed her roles in the pharmacy from technician to supporting the 340B program but has not lost what makes her stand out. Along with that change, she has maintained a consistent positive attitude. She travels to different sites and arrives with a smile no matter where she is working. She is a hard worker, faith-filled, dependable, quick to help others, inclusive, eager to improve, consistent, flexible, caring, and a genuine person. She has an incredible talent of leading, teaching, and helping others without looking for any credit. She has helped guide many technicians to learn correct procedures of the job without being judgmental. She comes into any place and cares enough to look around to see if anything extra can be done or improved. A small example is when she came in to work at Kettering Health Cancer Center in the Infusion department and took the time to make an inventory sheet for the technicians to use for items needed while separated in the clean rooms. It’s all the little extra things she does that would be easy to overlook, but show how much she genuinely cares. She works hard, multi-tasks, and makes her job look easy even though it is not. She has supported our site and other infusion sites while still doing her other job for some time now. I am so very grateful for all the help she has given to our Kettering Health Cancer Center infusion team over these last few years. I hope she gets recognized and appreciated for all that makes her stand out.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being caring in her work
“In October 2022, my children’s father and my ex-husband passed away in the emergency department at Soin Medical Center. Bailey was his nurse. Bailey was given a very difficult situation. She had her hands full with investigators and grieving family members in multiple locations. She was kind, caring, and compassionate through it all. I felt for her difficult position as I had been there myself as a nurse. She handled the situation with grace and love. I felt her care and also her confidence that she would do everything she could for us. She prayed with us, and I knew that she truly cared. I just want to thank Bailey for caring not only for his current wife, parents, and sisters, but also for me. Bailey truly exemplifies the “Be Your Best” slogan. Even though there was nothing more she could do for his life, she did her best to make us feel cared for in a terrible time. Thank you for living the mission and vision.”