Each year all of the hospitals in our network nominee candidates for the Ohio Hospital Associan's Health Care Worker of the Year. The Albert E. Dyckes Health Care Worker of the Year Award is presented each year to one Ohio caregiver who personifies a leader, gives back to the community, reflects the mission and values of his or her organization and routinely goes beyond the call of duty. You can read our 2016 nominations below:
Kay Kolb- Kettering Medical Center (Prestige Place)
A key part of Kettering Health Network’s strategy is our commitment to the development of one best practice. This commitment means that every patient can expect to receive the same standard of care no matter where they access care. Kay Kolb helps us keep this promise through her personal commitment to excellence and her dedication to learning and practicing the best method for delivering quality care. She uses her education and presentation ability to drive collaboration and understanding of both large scale initiatives and ongoing quality efforts. Her passion for excellence is evident in the standards to which she holds herself, personally and professionally.
Shelly Kolp- Sycamore Medical Center (Kettering Behavioral Medicine)
Shelly Kolp has a special gift of being able to understand and effectively communicate with a unique patient population within Kettering Health Network. Her ability to show genuine care and compassion while respecting the patient is not a skill she learned, but is part of her natural talent. She uses her skillset to lead and educate the staff in her facility, but also across the network in other departments as a Nonviolent Crisis Intervention instructor. Because of her passion for Trauma Informed Care, she is also able to educate staff across the network about how patients in any part of our health system have experienced some type of trauma. Her expertise and commitment to her profession are invaluable. She also understands the needs of the staff she works with directly. Shelly was not only able to create a relaxation room for staff and physicians to utilize, she coordinated staff to help with an employee in need when she was unable to return to work and through her efforts helped to get the employee what she needed in order to get back to work. Shelly is a humble reflection of what makes Kettering Health Network employees special and would make a great representative for Health Care Worker of the Year.
Sarah Schul- Grandview Medical Center (Preble Emergency)
Sarah Schul is being nominated for Health Care Worker of the Year because of her experience, commitment, and involvement in the Preble county community. Her dedication to the community in which she works is unmistakable. Partnering with many community leaders and initiatives, she is able to make a lasting impact on Preble County. This is in direct support of Kettering Health Network’s mission as we work to improve the quality of life for those in our communities. Sarah is a great example of living out our mission. From creating a positive, engaging atmosphere for her employees to stepping in to assist in whatever the need may be, Sarah displays her passion for her patients, coworkers, and community in all that she does.
Theresa Slyder- Southview Medical Center
Theresa Slyder is being nominated for Health Care Worker of the Year because of her vast knowledge, dedication and commitment to the mission of Kettering Health Network. She is a leader that possesses the skills necessary to go beyond the call of duty and the compassion to offer comfort and kindness in a time of need. She is an advocate for doing the right thing at the right time in order to best serve the patients, staff and organization. Theresa exudes all of the qualities and skills necessary to represent an exceptional healthcare worker. From being able to take charge of a critical situation at a moment’s notice, to simply sitting and comforting a patient’s family member who lost a loved one, Theresa is known for being dependable and reliable. She carries out the mission of the organization in everything she does.
Lisa Dudley- Soin Medical Center
Lisa Dudley is an experienced nursing assistant who knows the power of making a difference, one person at a time. At Kettering Health Network, we are here to serve our community – to care for our patients in times of crisis, in times of pain and in times of joy. Lisa proactively seeks out opportunities to meet and anticipate the needs of her patients and co-workers. In doing so, Lisa fulfills Kettering Health Network’s mission with every shift. She delivers deeply compassionate care, listening without judgment for what is important to others. Her commitment to delivering exceptional care is a reminder that we all have the power to transform the healthcare experience.
Deborah Swigart – Greene Memorial Hospital
At Kettering Health Network, we believe that our work is more than just a job. It is sacred work – a calling. Seeing our work as sacred reminds us that each of us has the power to impact someone’s life with kindness, respect and a listening presence. Deborah Swigart has been in health care for more than 27 years, and the whole of her career has been spent serving the patients of Greene Memorial Hospital. She has a passion for patient care and a specific interest in meeting the needs of the elderly population in her community. She leads by example and brings calm and stability to the chaos of emergency situations. Deborah reminds us that values are just words on a page until we bring them to life with action.
Jennifer Mason- Fort Hamilton Hospital
Through Jennifer Mason’s extensive work and dedication, she has ignited a passion in Hamilton to fight against drugs and addiction. She has been a humble, servant leader among Fire and EMS services for several years, not only at Fort Hamilton Hospital but in her community. She retired from the Hamilton Fire Department prior to coming to Fort Hamilton Hospital. She has had a tremendous impact on those around her as she fulfills a purpose so much bigger than herself. She is influential and well respected in her community as she has developed and evolved programs such as F.O.R.T., Fort’s Opiate Recovery Taskforce. The program gives those that saw no way out a chance to use resources including a specific team of people with care and compassion that Jennifer coordinates. She is an amazing example of Kettering Health Network’s mission. Because of her immense love and devotion for the work she does, Jennifer Mason is an exceptional candidate for the Health Care Worker of the Year.
