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Contact: Rod Gardner
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314-238-4476
Today’s Date: Monday, February 1, 2010
St. Joseph’s honors 219 co-workers with 2,725 combined years of service
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – St. Joseph’s Mercy Health System honored 219 co-workers – with a combined total of 2,725 years of service – during its annual Service Awards and Recognition Dinner at the Hot Springs Convention Center on the evening of January 28.
After a short welcome message, prayer, memoriam and dinner, St. Joseph’s President-Chief Executive Officer Tim Johnsen recognized each of the co-workers and presented them with award portfolios as they crossed the Horner Hall stage. Heading the list of those honored was 40-year co-worker Patsy Goodeaux, along with 35-year co-workers Beverly Kennedy, Pat Shaw, Richard Gardial, M.D. and James Gardner, M.D.
Drs. Gardial and Gardner are both St. Joseph’s Mercy Clinic family practice physicians. Goodeaux works in the business office, Shaw is a purchasing-receiving supervisor and Beverly Kennedy is a licensed practical nurse (LPN II) with St. Joseph’s Mercy Clinic.
Also honored at the event were 13 30-year co-workers – Brenda Bishop (Pharmacy), Haynes Jackson, Jr., M.D. (St. Joseph’s Mercy Clinic gynecologist), Charles Cleaves (Power Plant), Hester Lott (Central Service), Marsha Deboer (Laboratory), Sharon Rhodes (Laboratory), Debra Erwin (Nutritional Services), Judy Springer (Therapy Services), Tamra Finney (Patient Relations), Jackie Swaim (Facility Services), Betty Giles (Therapy Services), Vanessa Thompson (Central Service) and Joe Howe, M.D. (St. Joseph’s Mercy Clinic cardiovascular surgeon).
Others who were recognized and presented with award portfolios included eight co-workers with 25 years of service, 32 with 20 years, 27 with 15 years, 48 with 10 years and 86 with five years.
Together Everyone Achieves More (T.E.A.M.) awards were given out to the Business Health-Express Care Clinic team, Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center team, Maternal Child Multidisciplinary team, Intensive Care Multidisciplinary team, Operating Room Multidisciplinary team and Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infection Prevention Multidisciplinary team.
The final highlight of the evening came when it was announced that Vicky Sanders, RN, Executive Director over the Mercy Heart & Vascular Center, Mercy Cancer Center and Mercy Diabetes & Wound Center, had been named the fourth recipient of the St. Joseph’s Mercy Ray Pelton Leadership Award. Pelton retired in June 2006 after 15 years as Vice President of Human Resources and the award was instituted in his honor because of his many contributions to the lives of co-workers and the St. Joseph’s Mercy culture.
“I am very honored and humbled to be the recipient of this year’s Ray Pelton Leadership Award,” Sanders said. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Ray while he was at St. Joseph’s Mercy and his sense of humor and leadership style has positively influenced my role as a leader. I have also been privileged to work with some of the best healthcare providers in the world, and have been given numerous opportunities to learn and grow. Great mentors and role models have taken me under their wing and provided support, nurturing and direction.
“Additionally, a leader is only as good as the team with which he or she works – and over the past 24 years I have been blessed to work with exceptional individuals from all areas of the organization. Standing on the stage with the other nine nominees was an honor in itself. They each contribute so much of themselves back into their roles. I also believe the staffs that nominated each of us for this prestigious award are really the winners. They are the ones who have risen to the challenge to work in health care and accept each new change or directive with caring, dignity and a “Mercy” smile.”
Other St. Joseph’s Mercy leaders who were nominated for the Ray Pelton Leadership Award are Jennifer Thompson (St. Joseph’s Mercy Clinic), Wanda Coleman (St. Joseph’s Mercy Clinic), Michele Diedrich (Patient Care Services), Lana Lambert (Education Services-Patient Care Services), Philip Ruth (Radiology), Jeff Erwin (Nutritional Services), Terri Dobyns (4 East General Surgical and Float Pool Nursing), John Lindsey (Respiratory Therapy Services) and Danny Bledsoe (Catheterization Laboratory).
A member of the Sisters of Mercy Health System, St. Joseph’s is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare organization. For more information on the three large-company Gold Awards and Ambassador Award St. Joseph’s Mercy has received at Arkansas Governor’s Work-Life Balance Awards ceremonies over the last four years, as well as services and employment opportunities presently being offered, please visit saintjosephs.com.
