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Employees go above and beyond for positive outcomes

Every day, Penn State Health employees go above and beyond their daily job responsibilities to provide extra care for patients and extra support to colleagues and create a culture of ongoing quality improvement. The staff at Penn State Health Hampden and Holy Spirit medical centers has been sharing stories about colleagues who demonstrate our R.I.T.E. (Respect Integrity Teamwork Excellence) values. You can too. Use PAWS UP or contact a leader.

These are just a few examples that highlight the “above and beyond” work taking place across the health system: 

  • Debra Zerbe, director, surgical services at the Women and Babies Center at Hampden Medical Center, went to the Emergency Department on a high-volume day to help transport patients to the inpatient units. She wasn’t asked, she just heard that there were a number of patients that had to be moved. Zerbe showed up to support other staff so they could place their sickest patients.
  • Jenna Mohney, an emergency services nurse at Hampden Medical Center, helped a homeless patient obtain a bath and clean clothes. Mohney did not just give him wipes to get clean, she got soap and warm water, helped him bathe and used a shampoo cap to wash his hair.
  • Yocauris Delgado, a full-time employee with Holy Spirit Medical Center’s Supply Chain, learned that a patient’s family was tied up dealing with a crisis ― contending with damage from a house fire. She stepped in to help the patient during discharge by ensuring that he had safe transportation home. The family sent Delgado flowers and a note of appreciation.
  • When Teresa Bear, a patient transporter at Hampden Medical Center, isn’t transporting patients, she rounds on the units, offering a helping hand where needed and completing The Joint Commission readiness rounds.
  • Amber Nagy, clinical staff leader, Hampden Medical Center, played a key role in improving care, helping to establish a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) team at Hampden Medical Center, and intravenous therapy nurse Debora Poorman placed the first PICC.
  • Vicky Bracken is a registered nurse in the Holy Spirit Medical Center Emergency Department. A mother and her toddler and infant had been admitted to the Emergency Department following a car accident. The grandmother arrived at 3 a.m. to get them, but she only had one toddler car seat. The mother’s car seats were impacted in the accident. The family needed to find a new car seat for the infant. Bracken had just purchased a new car seat for her own grandchild. When she heard about their dilemma, she ran out to her car and donated her newly purchased one to this family.
  • Tobi Coen, a registered nurse in the Intermediate Care Unit at Hampden Medical Center, found out that a long-term homeless patient was going to lose his belongings, including heirlooms left to him when his mother passed away. Because he could not reach the storage company to make a payment, the items were being sent to auction. Coen intervened and was able to retrieve some of the special items ― photo albums, pictures and clothing ― and bring them to the patient.

Share a story about one of your colleagues. Recognizing team members who go above and beyond is a good way to show R.I.T.E. values in action and share best practices.

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