June Ambassador: 'I've always believed that to have a friend is to be a friend'

Every job has its good days and its bad. Some people have a gift for making even the worst days look easy.

Take Christy Nicholson for example. For the past five years, she’s served as a Customer Service Specialist for Reid Health’s Revenue Cycle Management team.

“Anyone who works in a call center knows some days each call seems to be harder than the last. You never hear that come through Christy's voice over the phone. She uses the same cheerful voice whether she’s talking to someone from the Administration team or an upset patient,” a co-worker said.

Reid’s Ambassador for the month of June, Nicholson describes herself as “a very loyal person.”

“I’ve always believed that to have a friend is to be a friend. That applies to my immediate family, my friends, and my co-workers currently and throughout my career,” she said.

Born in Indianapolis, Nicholson was raised with 12 brothers and sisters in Connersville. She’s since lived in Randolph County and now resides in Wayne County with her husband, Scott. She has a daughter, Savannah; son-in-law Shawn; granddaughter, Jazmine; grandson-in-law Peter; and grandson, Samuel.

“I was raised and taught at an early age to look at the heart of people, treat others as you want to be treated,” Nicholson said. “People need to feel respected. No matter who they are, love them where they’re at.

“Working customer service gives me an opportunity to serve people from many different walks of life. It allows me the opportunity to help them through all they’re facing and love them in a compassionate way.”

Her mother taught Nicholson to have a servant’s heart, a lesson she applies to patients and co-workers alike.

“She’s always that uplifting voice that gave me words of encouragement, especially when she knew I had just finished a difficult call,” a co-worker said. “I’ll never forget the time I finished a call where I had been cussed at and treated very poorly and wanted to cry when I hung up. The first thing I heard was Christy's voice saying, ‘Take a deep breath and look at the time. It's 4:30. Your shift is over. Don't let it bother you tomorrow at the movies.’

“She had remembered I was excited about going to the movies with my friends the next day, something I mentioned in passing a few days earlier.

“It takes a strong person to be able to work in the position as long as she has and to treat every caller like they were her own grandson.”

When she’s not working, Nicholson enjoys being with her family: Participating in HIIT Boxing at Reid with Samuel, hanging out with Savannah doing “whatever experiences she comes up with,” and hiking, gardening, and canning with her husband.

They’ve also traveled in the U.S. and Canada, enjoying mountains, trails, beaches, all the Great Lakes, lighthouses, covered bridges, old architecture, and many people along the way.

“I remind myself daily to love people despite their faults just like God does me,” Nicholson said. “I strive to make a difference in people’s lives. I really love serving people most, being a people person.”