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Fall Recognition Celebration honors employees for going the extra mile

From staffing employee flu-shot clinics to catching a baby being born at the front entrance of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, employees, faculty and students demonstrate the RITE (Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Excellence) values every day.

Sixty-eight individuals and teams were recognized for going the extra mile at the Fall Recognition Celebration on Oct. 30. The event included the Inspire Awards, Employees of the Month and Employee of the Year, Patient Experience Awards and other recognitions.

Inspired Together Fall Recognition Celebration

Inspire Awards

Respect

Kathy Cannon and Alison Everett of the Dean’s Office help escort and occasionally even drive lost patients and their family members to the University Physicians Center or Hope Drive. They also interpret for patients and families who speak little to no English. 

Integrity

  • Barb Groff, a nurse in the Infusion Center, saw a worker fall off the Emergency Department construction scaffolding and climbed a ladder to help the injured man.

Teamwork

  • Elisha Peregino, a nurse practitioner in Pediatric Neurosurgery, is improving communication in the unit and improving patient care by taking time to listen to patient and family concerns.
  • Amanda Kang in Environmental Health Services and Doreen Bibby in Patient Transport assisted a lost patient and family by getting the patient into a wheelchair and to the right destination.
  • Greg Shields of the Grounds Crew helped a nurse in the Pediatric Intermediate Unit with a flat tire at the end of her 12-hour shift.

Excellence

  • Bill Boring of Life Lion EMS found an uninjured gentleman who had been vacuuming his house, tripped and just needed help getting up. While Bill’s partner was doing the paperwork, Bill finished vacuuming for the patient.
  • Dan Stitt of Care Transitions came in on his day off to ensure that a functioning home wound vacuum device was approved and available for a patient who was ready for discharge.
  • Renee Houser, a nurse with the Medical Group Contingency Pool, serves as chair of the LPN Clinical Ladder Committee and is co-chair of Shared Governance.
  • Margie Gantz, a Life Lion EMT, was off-duty when she found a man slumped over his steering wheel. She and two others broke the windows of the car, carried the man to the pavement and began CPR.
  • Life Lion EMS Amber Lewis and Mike Pribila transported an elderly patient and his wife from the Emergency Department back home, turned on the furnace and bought them groceries.
  • Dr. Margaret Fitzsimons, a nephrologist, treats her patients with compassion, dedication and a caring attitude.
  • Security Officer Josh Graby assisted a pregnant woman as she delivered her baby outside the front entrance of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He caught the baby as it was born and prevented it from falling to the sidewalk.
  • Anesthesia Resident Brittany McDowell cared for a young patient with metastatic colorectal cancer who was in severe pain from a large hip wound. She worked with the team on the patient’s pain regimen and coordinated timing the patient’s dressing changes with extra medication through an epidural.
  • Jan Stouffer, a music therapist, played music for a dying patient. After the patient passed away, the family could not stop talking about how special it was because of how much music meant to the patient.
  • Jacob Miorelli and Lauren Furry, nurses in the Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit, helped the parents of a young patient prepare for a quick move to another unit and understand a resident’s explanation of their daughter’s condition.
  • Pat Schneider of Radiology helped a patient with implanted devices receive care that was denied at multiple institutions.
  • Penn State Health Medical Group – Mount Joy staff members help rescue 25 children from a school bus that was caught in rising flash floodwaters:
    • Sara Schlotthauer
    • Amy Lookenbill
    • Cindy Wolfe
    • Melissa Reiter
    • Christine Klinedinst
    • Angel Chappel
    • Deana Frescatore
    • Melanie Cover
    • Lok Mainali
    • Jessica Shifflett
    • Dr. Joshua Fleetman
    • Mary Brett
    • Renee Wagner  

Employees of the Month

  • September, 2017 -Brian Zimmerman, sterile processing technician
  • October, 2017 -Barbara Brehm, staff nurse, Employee Health
  • November, 2017 – Amanda Hulse, Human Resources training coordinator, Learning and Leadership Development
  • December, 2017 – Trina Lambert Sholly, medical office associate, Esteem Plastic Surgery
  • January, 2018 – Kathryn Trasatt, data management project leader, Public Health Sciences
  • February, 2018 – Lynette Troutman, radiology technician, Penn State Health Medical Group – Camp Hill
  • March, 2018 – Renee Houser, licensed practical nurse, Medical Group Contingency Pool
  • April, 2018 – Megan Blashford, recreational therapist, Child Life Program

Employee of the Year

  • Barbara Brehm – staff nurse, Employee Health

Steve and Sharon Baron Leadership Awards

  • Non-supervisory staff – Gail Ortenzi, quality abstractor-analyst RN, Quality Informatics
  • Manager/supervisor ­- Terry Kreiser, director, Facilities Operations
  • Faculty – Dr. Aiesha Ahmed, associate professor of neurology and physical medicine and rehab, director of neurology ambulatory practices and chief of Neuromuscular Division

The Michael B. Bongiovanni, MD, Patient Experience Awards

  • Provider Award – Dr. Lisa McGregor
  • Team Awards – Heart and Vascular Critical Care Unit and Penn State Eye Center

Patient Satisfaction Awards

Medical Group Practice Site Dean’s List: in recognition of scoring in the 99th-100th percentile among providers nationwide:

  • Robin Suess
  • Margaret Kreher
  • Leslie Scorza
  • Mara Dominici
  • Gregory Caputo
  • Lisa McGregor
  • Marjorie Lebo
  • Nicole Dreibelbis

Rising Star – Most Improved: in recognition of making a significant improvement in patient satisfaction scores for 2017-18

  • Penn State Health Medical Group – Briarcrest, Pediatric Specialties
  • Heart and Vascular Institute Critical Care Unit (HVICCU)
  • Infusion Services

Peak Performer: in recognition of scoring above the patient satisfaction organizational target

  • Anticoagulation, Nyes Road Clinic
  • Heart and Vascular Institute Critical Care Unit
  • Penn State Health Pediatrics – Kingston

Inspired Together Community Awards 

Inspired Community Benefit Inventory for Social Accountability

CBISA Reporters ­- went above and beyond to consistently share events and reminders with their departments and gather and enter community benefit data into CBISA:

  • Sonya Waters – Psychiatry
  • Allana Langley – Heart and Vascular Institute
  • Cathy Hirshbock – Neural and Behavioral Sciences
  • Nicole Alger – Community Medical Group

Inspired Community Relations Start-up Grant – 2017

Glasses for Children in Need – Departments of Nursing and Ophthalmology

  • Beth Bates
  • Tara O’Rourke
  • Kim Powell

Inspired Community Innovation

  • Penn State Health Food Box Initiative: Ashley Visco, manager, Care Management

Inspired Community Leader

  • Rachel Gorichky, clinical case manager

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