Our GEMS: Staff going the extra mile

A co-worker received news their dad was being sent to the Emergency Department by ambulance from his primary care provider. The patient was in severe kidney failure and at high risk for going into cardiac arrest. Without hesitation, Greg B., Reid EMS Ambulance, volunteered to finish the 12 hours remaining of the co-worker's shift so they could be with their father. "Thank you, Greg, for demonstrating what our normal expectations are and 'going the extra mile' beyond your regular duties to help me out," the co-worker said.

Dawn L., Pediatric Rehabilitation Services, was working with twins who had been diagnosed with failure to thrive and had been hospitalized for weight loss. After a couple visits, she noticed the infants had ties in their mouths and recommended immediate treatment. From the twins' mother: "That moment changed their lives. It saved my girls from G-tubes and saved my sanity and my marriage. They are currently thriving thanks to Dawn. When I was feeling down about the stress of my twins' diagnoses, I always felt a little better after being with Dawn. We are so blessed Dawn was placed in our lives. I owe the health of my children to her!"

On her time off, Hannah H., RHPA Administration, was visiting a family member at the hospital. As Hannah was leaving, she saw a patient who had been in a car accident and was brought to the hospital by ambulance. The patient was in pain and didn't have her phone, keys, purse, or a way home. Hannah approached the ED staff and let them know she was an employee in search of information to find a family member who could pick up the patient. Hannah then took the patient to the Reid Pharmacy and paid for her prescriptions out of her own pocket. Hannah showed so much compassion and respect for this patient and didn't leave her side until the patient's daughter was able to pick her up.

A patient's spouse called asking about a bill he'd received for his late wife. Jessica Y., Hospice OP Services, was able to help him understand the billing process. He later came into the office to thank Jessica personally for the time she took to explain everything. He expressed his gratitude over and over. He also asked to speak with her in private and asked her how he's supposed to "live life alone." Jessica -- who herself has lost a spouse -- offered suggestions, including attending the grief support groups that are part of our bereavement services. This was an A+ example of going the extra mile to support the families we serve.

Johna C., Patient Continuum of Care, went the extra mile to connect a patient to the care she needed. Johna was working with a patient who was 38 weeks pregnant and had not been seen by her OB/GYN in two months. While Johna had the patient on the phone, she called the Perinatal Navigator on her cell phone and got the patient an appointment that same day. When the patient said she didn't have gas money to get home from the appointment, Johna reached out to her team and found a resource offering a gas card that would provide enough fuel for more than one appointment. Johna left work, picked up the gas card, and took it to the OB/GYN office for the patient. The patient then was connected with a resource to help her with future transportation.

Cindy N., Environmental Services, uses her talents to put a smile on the faces of our chemo and infusion patients. Cindy creates crochet pocket hugs, crochet hearts with the saying, "Pocket Hug -- This little heart is full of love and hugs so keep it close, squeeze it tight, and know that you are loved." The patients love these. Thank you so much, Cindy, for taking the time to create such a sweet little present for the patients.

Chris B., Information Technology, displayed exceptional dedication and expertise during a critical Kronos system migration. Faced with an unexpected change in the project, Chris didn't flinch. He committed himself fully over the weekend, working tirelessly from Friday through Sunday night, carefully ensuring every part of the system was working perfectly. A last-minute hiccup with the outpatient physician timeclocks didn't stop him. He personally visited each offsite location to fix the clocks, making sure everything was ready for a smooth start on Monday morning. Chris' commitment to excellence and his ability to rise to any challenge make him a true GEM in our organization.

A patient needed oral prep for a CT scan, but he lived out of town and couldn't pick it up. Lyndsey P., Radiology, offered to drop it off at the patient's home to save him a trip to the hospital and time on the day of his test. The patient was grateful for Lyndsey going out of her way because he recently had severe damage to his home from a tornado. Lyndsey definitely went above and beyond to make this patient have the best experience possible.

Dakota B., Information Technology Operations, was working as the Service Desk Agent on duty during the storm on March 14. As the hospital first prepared for the possibility of tornados in the area then for incoming patients from Winchester, Dakota sought out staff on the floor to offer his help in any way he could, without a second thought or having to be asked. Dakota went beyond his regular IT duties and showed a dedication of care to our patients, our caregivers, and our communities.

A homeless patient came into the ER with burns to both feet and frostbite. He had lost his only pair of boots in a fire he had made trying to get warm. Our charge nurse for the day, Daniel F., didn't hesitate to give the patient his own snow boots that he had worn to work that day. Within an hour, Brandon G. came into the ER -- on his day off -- carrying brand-new boots for Daniel. Both Brandon and Daniel went well beyond the extra mile!

Emma I., Whitewater Valley Primary Care, found out a patient who had recently fallen and broken ribs wasn't going to get his spirometer for several days because of the holidays. She went to the pharmacy, picked one up, paid for it herself, and delivered it to the patient's home. This was very generous of Emma. She cares for her patients and didn't want this person to go without.

My sister's house caught fire, and her family lost everything that was inside. I went to the Home Medical Equipment store to buy my niece and nephew diapers, but it's been a while since I had kids that little so I was asking the workers questions about how long a box would last and how much of each size I should get. Alexis W. and Kaesha B. could see something was wrong, so I told them about my sister's situation. The next thing I knew, they had me loaded up with diapers for both children, plus wipes (I had completely forgotten about those). They refused payment, split the cost of the supplies down the middle between the two of them, and sent me on my way. It was an incredible thing to do. My sister was shocked at the amount of diapers and almost speechless. These two went the extra mile, and we appreciate it so much.