Our employees are the reason we’re able to successfully carry out our mission every day to improve the health of our community. The work you do–both small, consistent actions and large compassionate gestures–deserves to be recognized. This March, we’re recognizing 11 Employees of the Month across our system for their commitment to 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 March Employees of the Month.
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being collaborative in her work
“In addition to her attention to detail in keeping the unit clean and tidy, Liza is always aware of patient needs. When there is music on in the milieu, she can be seen singing and dancing along with patients and staff while pushing the supply cart. This really lifts everyone’s spirits. Liza notifies nursing staff when she notices a change in patient behavior or when a patient has a concern. She has consistently helped to improve the patient experience. Today, Liza came to alert me that a patient was agitated and wanting someone to talk to. We came to discover that the patient was confused, had wandered into another patient’s room, and was destroying items that were not hers. Liza’s attentiveness and care for our patient population allowed us to intervene quickly. We so appreciate her hard work, heart, and dedication.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being caring in her work
“Pete very well might be the most caring, loving advocate I’ve ever known. She’s worked alongside us in HR for many years and has transitioned to Volunteer Services. Many of her volunteers are elderly and the compassion and support she offers them to accommodate their needs is inspiring. She makes each of them feel like they are so incredibly important because they are and she shows them by taking them to lunch individually, celebrating their birthdays, listening to their stories, and constantly encouraging and praising them. You can’t walk with Pete anywhere without an employee or volunteer stopping her to give her a hug or talk with her. Her biggest goal each day is to make others smile. She writes quotes daily on a board outside her door and people go out of their way to go read it and smile. She’s made her office a place of joy with fun décor inspired by each volunteer. Pete went through a really hard time recently and she never has stopped showing up for her volunteers and spreading her joy. Pete makes an impact with her caring heart and attention to the small things that make others feel so special and so valued. Her nickname around the hospital says it all: ‘Sweet Pete.'”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being collaborative in his work
“Aron went above and beyond without being asked on Medical Surgical/Telemetry. A bed was out of service, and he went out of his way to try and see what was wrong with it for us. He ended up figuring out the bed problem. Aron you are awesome! We appreciate you always going out of your way to help others in the hospital on a regular basis. Aron regularly goes above and beyond to help others wherever he is working, be it in the ED, Medical Surgical/Telemetry, or anywhere. He always helps without being asked. Thank you, Aron!!”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being competent and caring in her work
“I have had the pleasure of working alongside Leanne for the past two years. She has always amazed me with how compassionate she is about her job and the patients she cares for. This is why I feel she needs to be recognized. She is constantly taking additional time to make sure her patients and their families are well taken care of. She collaborates with all staff (therapy, nursing, social work, etc.) to ensure nothing is missed. Most recently, I had the pleasure of witnessing her spending a good portion of her day assisting a patient and his caregiver with evaluating and researching what specialized equipment the patient would benefit from prior to discharging home. Although this act in itself is not above the ordinary, the extent to which she has gone past the evaluation process is extraordinary. Not only did she make recommendations for the appropriate equipment, but she took additional time to meet with the social worker to complete internet searches to show exactly what equipment she was recommending and why. I know the patient and his caregiver were grateful for the extra time spent with them as well as the social worker appreciating the time taken to educate them on this highly specialized equipment to ensure the right equipment was ordered. Leanne also searched the hospital for a high-back wheelchair for this patient to transfer him out of bed and to assist in educating his caregiver on the type of wheelchair he will need in the future based on his new impairments. Leanne’s actions not only impacted the patient and his caregiver but our staff as well. Leanne’s commitment to ensuring all team members were involved in understanding this patients’ specific needs embodies the type of teamwork all Kettering Health employees should aspire to have. Her actions demonstrate the culture of Kettering Health and what we stand for.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being competent and caring in her work
“Kacy Gatch lives out Kettering Health’s values and mission every shift she works in the operating room. She is widely regarded as one of the very best circulators in the OR for numerous reasons. Not only is Kacy always positive and upbeat, but she is also an active advocate for her patients. I personally have witnessed at least a handful of incidents where she goes above and beyond to ensure patient safety and the timely care of a patient. She is an extremely hard worker and is a shining example of what both a good employee and a circulator should be. Kacy always has an infectiously positive attitude. When Kacy is around, I have often noticed that other co-workers reflect Kacy’s positive and can-do attitude. She is often encouraging fellow employees and is always willing to offer help and support when called upon. Her incredible work ethic and team-oriented mindset has been invaluable to this department, and it is in my belief that she deserves recognition for all she does for patients and fellow co-workers.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being caring in her work
“I have a patient that is unable to read or write. Cari took the initiative to sit with the patient and read the entire annual wellness visit paperwork to the patient. She then wrote down all his answers on the paperwork. She never made the patient feel less than and he was grateful to have help. She was so kind and patient to ensure he was able to receive the care he deserves. Cari positively impacts our office and our patients daily. Cari went above and beyond for our patient today.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being caring in her work
“Eliane strives to make each patient feel welcome and cared for every day she works. In one instance, she was recognized by a patient in the ED who was homeless. Eliane went to the gift shop and purchased some toiletries for this patient who had nothing. This meant the world to the patient and impacted her enough that she sent Eliane a card to thank her with some very touching words. Eliane’s actions impact the people around her in a positive way daily. She encourages patients with her kind words and helps her co-workers in a variety of ways making their jobs easier. For example, she has translated French for nursing staff when the Martis were down, and she stocks the empty forms needed for the department without being asked to do so. We all appreciate her and know it will be a better shift when she is working.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being competent and collaborative in her work
“Brandee is such a great asset to the operating room team. Since day one, she has been willing to jump into any situation and is a quick learner to new services. Even when she is not on call, she will stay late to assist not only the team but for the best care of the patient. Brandee pays close attention to details, which is imperative in a surgery setting. She has caught multiple supplies and medications with expired dates before they ever reach the patient. Brandee comes in each day with not only a positive attitude, but also with a smile. She keeps a level head if things start to become complicated during a case. She treats each person in the operating room with kindness and respect, and always puts the needs of the patient first.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being competent and trustworthy in her work
“Brooke is a very attentive and caring nurse. She is always helpful and hands-on with her patients. In emergent situations, she is quick to react and makes the right calls. Brooke is someone I look up to as a nurse. Always has a great attitude. I am proud to have Brooke as part of our team on Labor and Delivery. We had an emergent event with a patient recently and she stayed at bedside for over four hours straight to ensure the patient was stabilized and doing okay. She always goes above and beyond for patients and their newborns. Brooke has great spirits all throughout the shift, especially on the tough ones. She knows how to keep the team afloat and has a great sense of humor. She helps boost team morale by assisting in decorating the station for holidays.”
“Brooke is always fantastic to work with. She always has a positive attitude no matter the situation. She is also always willing to jump in and help others out. She is a fantastic nurse clinically as well and provides excellent care to her patients. Her positivity rubs off on the entire unit when she works. She is a great preceptor and wonderful co-worker.”
“Brooke is an exceptional nurse who pointed out a critical situation to the appropriate staff as soon as she got the report. She never left the patient’s side during the time from getting report to the code to transferring the patient off of our unit. She remained calm in a very tense and stressful situation. Brooke’s keen abilities as a nurse and competence led to this patient’s life being saved. Trustworthy is one of the nursing philosophies. Our commitment to work with integrity to promote excellent outcomes of patients is entrusted to our nursing care. Brooke showed this immensely while being assigned to this patient. The positive outcome was able to be achieved because of Brooke’s commitment to her patient.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health value of being competent in his work
“Since joining Kettering Health in 2020, Eric has further developed his skills in process improvement, project management, healthcare operations, data analysis, training development and delivery, and change management. In addition to his growth in the department, he has impressive academic achievements and is currently pursuing a PhD in Economics. In his years since joining Kettering Health, Eric successfully led improvement initiatives in areas such as COVID drive-thru testing implementation, decreasing surgical site infections utilizing povidone-iodine nasal swabs, imaging/CT turnaround time improvement, process mapping across key service lines, coaching students, the design of a Kettering College class on Lean Six Sigma, developing a Process Excellence video library, and providing expertise in advanced statistical analysis.
Eric has been, and continues to be, a key leader in how Process Excellence integrates best practices in improvement science and statistical analysis. Eric understands data science and the impact of advanced statistical analysis. He is translating complex information into understandable bullet points of information that are digestible by all. I have received many emails/phone calls/texts in the past few months from senior leaders and physicians commenting on his presentation skills and how valuable he is to our organization. Most importantly, Eric is a genuinely enjoyable person to work with. He makes coming to work every day fun! He is truly strengthening our culture of data-based decision-making and continuous improvement.”
“Eric enjoys big challenges. He tackles things that can be pretty intimidating. Eric is also a very deep thinker both personally and professionally which means he goes well beyond the surface of topics to investigate the real meaning behind things.”
Recognized for living out our Kettering Health values of being caring and collaborative in her work
“Talisa treats every patient she comes into contact with like they are a family member. On one shift, she helped me numerous times with a very confused and scared patient. For anything we had to do, she came in to help me, even if it was just to hold the patient’s hand and offer comforting words. Talisa helps nursing staff whenever she is able, doing everything from stocking rooms, providing patient care, offering emotional support for not patients and co-workers, completing EKG’s, being our HUC, arranging transport for patients, and setting up admissions. Talisa provides respiratory education to every patient she encounters ensuring they understand the importance of compliance with medications and physician appointments, and gives extra attention to those who need it. Everything she does is patient-centered. Talisa is a positive member of the Kettering Health Springfield family. She is always reassuring, not only to us, but to her patients. She always makes sure patients are comfortable and helps to put their anxiety at ease. Talisa comes in prepared for anything and always does her best to ensure the best patient care experience for patients and their families. I have never worked with a person so willing to learn and to help. Talisa is a vital part of our team, and we are so blessed to have her here. She is a perfect example of every core value Kettering Health embraces.”