Here's her story:
Haley was caring for a patient in the NTCU who had been admitted a few days prior after landing in the ED from a fall. As the patient grew weaker, medical staff looked into causes, but all the tests were showing nothing.
But when Haley showed up for her shift and met her new patient, she had a gut instinct that something more was needed . . . something just wasn’t right. Haley was told that her patient had been like this since she was admitted. “That was something I could simply not accept,” Haley said. Haley is passionate about being a nurse and fiercely advocated for a higher level of care.
Haley stayed by the patient’s side as she noticed the patient’s movements were becoming increasingly erratic and her legs were getting even weaker.
The patient said these movements were new, so Haley insisted on calling our Rapid Response Team (RRT). The primary MD also rushed to the bedside, but the patient got worse as the minutes passed. Haley continued to push for more lab work with the MD, who then ordered a test to obtain spinal fluid sample, to start ruling things out!
The procedure was scheduled, with Haley’s suggestion of sedation first. An urgent CT scan was also ordered while a neurologist came to the bedside to consult on psychiatric aspects.
The primary MD called in the intensivist in the ICU, who shared Haley’s concerns. After more probing into the patient’s history, they suspected Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS.
Long-story-short: Within three hours of entering the ICU, our patient was intubated, sedated, treated to increase her blood pressure and given IVIG (intravenous immunoglobin) for the suspected GBS.
After several days of treatment, the patient’s strength and movement increased and she was removed from intubation. She is expected to make a near full recovery.
If Haley had not trusted her instincts and persistently contacted medical staff and called for the Rapid Response Team, her patient would have coded and this story may have turned out very differently.
Haley, on behalf of the entire organization, saying THANK YOU simply isn’t enough. You are this year’s Board of Trustees Hero.
The following stories highlight our Service Excellence honorees. They were edited from nominations submitted to the Star Award Committee.
Laura A. Aspinwall, Rehabilitation Services
Nominated by Scott Klug, RS
Where to Start? Laura is the inpatient therapy staff supervisor. She not only does an excellent job advocating for her staff, she also jumps right in wherever therapeutic help is needed. Being the supervisor is a full-time job but there are many days where Laura carries a full therapy load of patients, too. As busy and stretched thin as she may be, her attitude toward patients and staff is always positive. She participates in outreach and organizes staff events like "First Wednesday" where staff meet at a local dining spot to unwind and practice self-care and collegiality. Laura’s selflessness extends beyond the workday where she often stays beyond normal hours, she is usually the first one to volunteer to work weekends and holidays. She has been known to postpone days off to make sure our patients and staff are able to succeed. She relishes therapy but also thrives when things are tough, and we need someone steady to lead us through difficult moments or days. Laura is a people person and perfectly suited to be both, a high level professional physical therapist and an excellent supervisor. Her sole focus is patient care and how to help staff meet her high patient care expectation. So truly, she is always “treating” each person. Laura is genuine.
Christina C. Clement, Acute Rehab Services
Nominated by Alexandra Adelman, Medical Telemetry Unit
Tina Clement, Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT), is an exceptional physical therapist and interdisciplinary team member. Tina always says yes to getting involved on projects, lends a helping hand to staff, and provides superb patient care. Tina has been coming to D5 Unit Council for the last year to partner with her nursing co-workers. She attends every month with an open mind, her skills and a joyful spirit. Tina recently joined an adult health and critical cared collaborative work group that desperately needed her PT perspective. She evaluated evidence-based research articles and reported back, giving us invaluable knowledge to improve care for years to come. Recently, Tina sat down with a group of nurses and explained the physical therapy notes until the nurses could read therapy notes more accurately and efficiently. She actively listened to the nurses' concerns and barriers and reported those findings back to her leadership. It does not matter if the patient is not on her case load; Tina is always willing to educate staff. She has coached nurses on how to perform transfers with proper body mechanics, so the nurse could perform safe and effective patient mobilization. She inspires and collaborates to inspire change, growth, and lean culture. Her patients appreciate her care and candor! Recently, a patient asked Tina if she was going to be back the following day and was disappointed when Tina reported that she was off for the rest of the week. Even though the patient found physical therapy challenging, she wanted Tina to return. There are many more examples of Tina’s outstanding patient care and the positive impact she has on both Salem Health patients and her Salem Health coworkers. We are lucky to work with someone as dedicated, professional, and kind as Tina!
Emily Day, CVCU
Nominated by: Heather M. Rideout, CVCU
Emily has excelled this past year in two key unit based projects and serves as a key staff member and leader on our unit. For CVCU she was part of a team that revitalized our Mentorship program for new RNs, RNs new to the unit and those new to ICU level. She helped design a launch party to inject a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to successfully launch the program. The goal is to help RNs feel supported in the practice and connected to others in the unit. Emily's team is now launching the third group of mentor/mentee dyads. Emily serves as an integral member of our cardiogenic shock day that brought a regional speaker to the campus and provided education throughout a whole day to any staff member of the hospital interested in improving their cardiogenic shock knowledge. She presented a case study from start to finish based on a real patient that she helped as a Rapid response nurse. The case focused on how any RN can identify cardiogenic shock, not just those who have the fancy ICU tools and really empowered RNs throughout the hospital. She is well respected as a rapid response nurse for her willingness to educate others in any situation. As a clinical nurse she is one of the unit experts and readily jumps in to help others when needed and provides exceptional care to our patients. She serves as a rapid response nurse, resource nurse and a charge nurse. In each of those roles she lends her expertise and skills to others and will do any task needed to support patients and staff.
Cadie A. Fery, Nursing Admin
Nominated by Jessica Reese, House Operations
Twelve months ago, Salem Health saw many RN and CNA positions needing to be filled in Adult Health and Critical Care areas -- so the Clinical Onboarding Coordinator role was created. There were no standards to work off from, but Cadie stepped in to build the role from the ground up. She’s eager to assess opportunities for problem-solving and collaborates professionally with multiple stakeholders in the process. She has proactively reached out to KPO to assist her with process mapping and developing standard works for her role. Her warm, energetic personality is inviting to potential candidates and her background with Salem Health (> 20 years of service) gives her credibility. She is dedicated to maintaining professionalism when communicating with potential candidates. It is not uncommon that Cadie will be asked for data, and due to her organized tracking processes, she can always quickly provide whatever is needed. Cadie’s outcome metrics speak for themselves. In 12 months’ time she has been able to help nursing leaders hire and onboard a total of 258.63 RN FTE, 82.55 CNA FTE, and 46.8 PCA FTE in Calendar Year 2024 so far. We anticipate off-boarding over 77 RN Traveler FTE and 15 CNA Traveler FTE in addition to those already off-barded by the end of this calendar year, representing a greater than 50% reduction in contract labor, resulting in large cost savings.
Catia A. Garibay, CHEC
Nominated by Nancy Baldwin, CHEC manager
Catia has served in two roles during her five years in the Community Health Education Center, most recently as a bilingual health educator. The CHEC was without bilingual staff for many years. Our offerings for the Spanish-speaking community become non-existent while more than 35% of those living within our service area identified as Spanish speaking. Catia was promoted to the role of a full-time Bilingual Health Educator in 2021 and hit the ground running to develop programs mainly for Spanish speakers. She devoted many hours to meeting with community groups and partners to learn the need, then crafted programming we could deliver – rather than expect them to come to the CHEC. In 2022 she led a large scale, ELC-driven, A3 project around Type II diabetes prevention for the Lantinx community. Over two years she worked tirelessly going out to remote locations throughout Marion and Polk counties to provide glucose testing, lipid panels and blood pressure checks to over 700 underserved individuals, many of whom were without healthcare. Catia rallied community partners such as Northwest Human Services, Mano a Mano, SHMG Woodburn Clinic, PCUN, Northwest Senior Disability Services, and Salem Free Clinics among others to collaborate on how to get individuals and families into primary care as well as wrap around services. She collected extensive data, provided follow-up calls and presented outcomes to our board members. She also became certified to teach Programa de Manejo Personal de la Diabetes. This six-week program helps those with a Type II diagnosis understand the disease process and facilitate lifestyle changes. Class participants rave about her teaching style and report that their life, vitality, and wellbeing have improved tremendously. From one of her students: Catia taught me how to better control my diabetes and have a balanced diet, I feel that everything is possible with the help of God and my instructor Catia! While engaging in this incredibly meaningful work Catia maintained her regular scope of work and taught herself how to utilize Canva to create professional level flyers and marketing materials to promote the CHEC programs and resources. This work was a huge cost savings for Salem Health which she maintains to this day, her creativity and design sense are unmatched!
Larry J. Gerig, Operating Room
Nominated by Brandon Winslow, Clinical Engineering
Since my arrival at SH four years ago, Larry has been one of the most helpful and reliable team members I’ve met. He is always willing to help, and I promote him as a role model to my other team members. Larry can be counted on to provide assistance or direction to assistance if he does not have an answer. I usually describe him to our newest team members when I round them in the OR as “if you can’t figure it out, ask Larry.” His approach is always consistent and polite with a touch of Larry humor. I have relied on Larry to locate and assist with equipment scheduling when I look for hard-to-find equipment, and I keep him in the information loop when I am working on specialized equipment because I know he will let staff that are looking for equipment know where it is and when it will be back for a repair or PM in our shop. I wish we had more Larrys, and that he did not have to retire, but I know he has worked very hard all the years I have known him. Please keep it up Larry, for as long as we have you here! From Laura Morefield: Larry is very dependable. He always comes right away to wherever I need him. I have witnessed him several times even leave his lunch to come help.
Mandy L. Graham, Surgical Services
Nominated by Marilu Hess, Surgical Services
Wonder Woman! That's the description of Mandy Graham. With all the hats she wears as a wife and mother of four, master gardener, potter, music enthusiast, and so many others things, we have to WONDER how she manages to excel in everything she does for the Surgery Department at West Valley Hospital, from managing the vaccine clinic, to getting training to become a First Assist to surgeons (and even training other staff at the new surgery center in Salem). If there is ever something we need from Salem quickly, she’s the first to make the mad dash to retrieve supplies. I’ve also caught her sneaking home baked goods into the break room late at night to surprise her staff the next morning. She’s also wickedly smart. She sifts through the details of what each surgery or surgeon will need to complete the procedure in best, safest manner. A quote near her desk reveals her philosophy: "Working hard for something we don't care about is stress. Working hard for something we love is called PASSION." Patients, staff, and physicians alike agree that she and her team most often far exceed other locations around the area. Don't believe it? Check the survey scores. :-) One physician put it this way, "I have worked with a lot of excellent nurses over the years but what Mandy has is FINESSE!"
Katherine E. Hart, Clinical Education
Nominated by Amy Brase, Clinic Education
Katie Hart is our Learning Management System Specialist, keeping HealthStream running. She is quick, and thorough, considering ALL the elements needed, often thinking of things no one else does. Her work elevates the work of everyone in Clinical Education. She “saves us” in so many ways behind the scenes. A great example: HealthStream was moving to a password reset situation where everyone would have to change their password when accessing HealthStream every 90 days. Katie escalated this concern at least six months before the change. By sounding the alarm, a solution was created for a single sign on with the help of our IT department. One might think that is it. Problem solved. Nope. Katie thought of all the ways this would impact us. She thought how a single sign on for HealthStream would impact marketing—they would have to change the HealthStream button on the HUB. How the change would affect providers—she contacted the medical office and ensured the correct link would be shared in the correct way in the correct format when onboarding new provider hires. She considered multiple recommendations from HealthStream to manage the change, and quickly developed what will really work with us. Much of her work is complicated and technical--so she has less support from me and other colleagues! So … when you are signing in once to have access to all you need—thank Katie. And thank you Katie, that we don’t have to change our passwords every 90 days! Another important body of work Katie implemented for Clinical Education and Salem Health is a data base that links education and regulatory rules and Salem Health policies. This helps us stay compliant. What Katie has created is incredibly valuable and impacts the entire organization. The data base helps keep track of the hundreds of trainings and thousands of regulatory rules to ensure staff are trained to what they must be, and limits training that is not required. The stakes are high if we don’t do this well. She is constantly creating resources to address all details. This is a gargantuan task. And to top it off—Katie is such a pleasure to work with. Just when you think she has done all the things—she goes above and beyond and implements something that saves everyone in the organization time they did not even know was at risk. Thank you for making the jobs of all 5,900-plus employees at Salem Health easier.
Curt R. Hawkinson, Family Medicine, Skyline Village
Nominated by Christine Clarke, MD, SHMG Administration
Curt has distinguished himself by demonstrating excellence above and beyond through his service as Advanced Practice Director for PAs for SHMG. Mr. Hawkinson meets regularly with each of the PAs within SHMG to provide a sounding board and mentorship. He routinely escalates matters involving PA professional development to leadership and advocates effectively and appropriately for PAs as members of the professional team providing medical level of care. Mr. Hawkinson made tremendous contributions in leading Salem Health’s work to develop and implement the change from PA practice agreements to PA collaborative agreements as mandated by the Oregon Medical Board, assuring that PAs and their physicians were informed of changes and had clear, transparent guidance. Mr. Hawkinson is directly responsible for improving the satisfaction of our PAs at SHMG and I am deeply grateful for his navigation to our collaborative agreements. Fellow leaders rely upon Mr. Hawkinson’s input and counsel and deeply appreciate his professional, consistent, thoughtful, reliable work. I am grateful that he chooses to practice with us here at Salem Health.
Amy S. Hoke, ICU Respiratory Care
Nominated by Gwen Schneider, ICU
When I think of Amy Hoke, I say YES to any Star Award! She is a role model every single day. She is highly respected, with a moral compass made of Marble (tough and beautiful) and gold. She is a leader because of her respected leadership qualities in the RT department and RRT. She 'knows her stuff' and is a leader in Practice because of that, and she teaches with grace, respect, and kindness. She is my hero. I feel a strong sense a gratitude when I share a rapid response day with Amy. I KNOW she will give 100%. She will be amazingly proactive and kind. Our last day of RRT she did all of this: supported family and nurses by education and clarification, was anticipating needs and did the work herself, even if it was outside her job title. She was so thoughtful, kind, and joyful to everyone. She says thanks all the time. She collaborates with me, the nurse on the team and is always agreeable to whatever needs to happen. I think it would be best to just give her all of the individual awards for she is all of them. But if I was asked... well, I can't decide. She is that good. She is that stellar.
Rosalva Isiordia, Maternal Fetal Medicine
Nominated by Amber Aguinaga, Executive Offices
Rosalva shows exceptional leadership and dedication as a supervisor in the OB/GYN, Midwives, and Maternal Fetal Medicine clinics. Rosa is not only a highly skilled and experienced leader, she is also deeply respected and admired by everyone who works with her. Rosa’s many years of experience have shaped her into a leader who embodies both strength and compassion. She has a unique leadership style—direct yet approachable—balancing the role of supervisor with that of a teacher and a friend. Rosa’s ability to connect with her team members and foster a positive, productive work environment is one of her greatest strengths. She consistently supports her staff, ensuring they have the tools and guidance they need to succeed, while also being someone they can confide in and rely on for advice. A recent example of Rosa’s leadership occurred during the CrowdStrike computer outage. The clinic faced significant challenges as the entire computer system was down, impacting day-to-day operations and patient care. Rosa rose to the occasion, working tirelessly to ensure all computers were back up and running as quickly as possible. She coordinated with IT, supported her team, and kept the clinic running smoothly despite the difficulties. Her calm, solution-focused approach kept everyone on track during a stressful time, and her relentless dedication ensured that patient care was minimally disrupted. Rosa’s contributions extend far beyond the technical aspects of her job. She is a leader who truly cares about her team and the well-being of everyone around her. She creates an environment where her colleagues feel supported and valued, and this, in turn, enhances the overall performance and morale of the clinic. She exemplifies what it means to be a true leader—someone who is not only skilled and knowledgeable but also kind, compassionate, and deeply committed to her team and the people they serve.
Yuko Iwanaga, MD, Palliative Care
Nominated by Sumit Singhal, MD, SH Hospitalist
Dr. Iwanaga consistently goes above par in patient care. For example, a patient with chest pain was initially diagnosed with ACS with possible lung condition. We thought it was pneumonia but on further review it was determined it could be a progressive form of interstitial lung disease or pulmonary fibrosis. Unfortunately, despite maximal medical treatment, his condition got worse. He was barely able to maintain oxygen saturation even with maximal high flow or BiPAP. Palliative care was consulted; the patient and his son decided on DNR/DNI. Unfortunately, due to some miscommunication, patient's wife and the patient wanted to move forward with full care that same evening. Palliative care was then reconsulted and Dr. Iwanaga saw the patient on July 2 for the first time. She spent more than 3 hours with the grieving family, after which they decided to begin comfort care. She saw the patient again Wednesday morning and took it upon herself to get the patient more comfortable, knowing he might pass away soon. She learned the patient’s medication wasn’t enough for comfort, so she deftly worked “from scratch” with bedside nursing, RN manager and respiratory therapist and their manager. Dr. Iwanaga consistently shows respect for colleagues and hospital staff alike during very difficult circumstances. Dr. Chris Clarke praised her for "consistently raising the bar” on patient care. care. Dr. Iwanaga's approach in providing education without judgment to multidisciplinary team members helped everyone work to improve so that this patient and future patients receive excellent, consistent control of their symptoms. Quite often, this work can go unnoticed . . . so I wanted to make sure she is recognized for embodying the values of Salem Health.
Jaswinder Kaur, MD, ICU Hospitalist
Nominated by Gwen Schneider, ICU
Dr. Kaur deserves everyone’s praise for her endless dedication to medicine and her patients. She has been a committed member of the sepsis committee for over a decade. Also, after many years of practice, instead of being 'burned out' she stays engaged and driven to provide the best care she can. She is well respected and admired by nurses everywhere. She helps maintain a bond between nursing and providers by her inclusive, sincere, and kind manners to family, patients and nurses/respiratory/ lab staff. As a rapid response nurse, I have seen her dedication. When I see she is the primary provider on cases, we (yes, I am speaking for the RT RRT also) are thrilled to know she will be attentive and collaborative. I heard a rumor that she said she 'was born to be a doctor'. I am not sure this is true, or if the original statement has morphed into this statement, but regardless, I feel honored to work next to such an outstanding doctor and human. For indeed her calling is to be a doctor. I am not sure how she ended up practicing here, but she is a gem-above-gems and should be cherished. I am trusting SH will also honor her work and dedication by saying 'thanks' with this award.
Shelly M. Keller, Clinical Education
Nominated by Amber Aguinaga, Executive Offices
Shelly is dedicated to excellence in her role with our Clinical Education department. One of her many responsibilities is maintaining the CPR mannequins used across the entire hospital system, and she consistently goes above and beyond to ensure these essential tools are functioning perfectly. Maintaining every mannequin across the health system is no small task, and Shelly does it with great enthusiasm. Her responsibilities extend beyond the main hospital, requiring her to travel to various offsite locations to ensure that no mannequin is left unchecked. The logistical challenges do not faze her—she has even assembled a specialized travel kit to ensure she can address any issues on the spot, preventing downtime and avoiding disruptions in critical training sessions. What sets Shelly apart is not only her technical expertise but also her remarkable responsiveness. She takes immediate action to trouble-shoot, then follows up with the person who reported it to ensure complete satisfaction. Shelly’s role is vital to our educational programs. She ensures that every CPR mannequin is in top condition, which in turn guarantees that healthcare professionals are able to train and practice lifesaving skills effectively. Her dedication, responsiveness, and problem-solving abilities make her a standout member of the team. Ensuring the functionality of CPR mannequins has a ripple effect on the health and safety of both staff and patients, and her contributions are deeply valued across the health system.
Kelsey M. Knupp, NTCU
Nominated by Chris Lentz, co-worker
Kelsey worked as a CNA on NTCU for several years and became an RN a little over a year ago. She’s now a strong resource and break lunch nurse for the unit. She constantly puts her own needs aside to support others. Even as a CNA, Kelsey would spend her extra time in her patients’ rooms actively listening to anything her patients talk about. As RN while caring for a patient with delirium and in a heavy four-patient assignment, she spent most of her shift with a patient, reassuring they were safe, offering comfort while calling the daughter. She sacrificed her breaks and lunch to stay with the patient. Another instance is with a patient on a medical hold who was not in her care was escaping down a stairwell on the unit on the 7th floor. Kelsey ran down the hall and into the stairwell, talked the patient down, and walked them back to the room – without needing help from Security. She has this way with patients like no one I have seen in my career. She can calm the most fearful and make those who have felt stereotyped feel like they are no different than herself. Kelsey takes every opportunity to recognize her team through You Make a Difference forms, and is the first to speak up in calling out someone’s achievements. She is their Hero. She just doesn’t wear a cape, except maybe on Halloween. Kelsey does everything with grace, does not complain, and emanates compassion. She doesn’t know the word “No” when asked for help regardless of how busy she herself may be. She is a valuable and valued member of the NTCU family, and we appreciate her more than she may realize. And if you have an award beyond Hero or Service Excellence—she’d deserve that, too!
Heather A. Krupicka, Medical Telemetry Unit
Nominated by Alexandra Adelman, Kaizen nurse consultant
Heather always keeps the patient at the center of care. She finds common ground to build relationships. You can tell that her patients feel well cared for! When the nurse and Heather collaborate to provide hygienic care to the patient, patients feel more comfortable telling Heather their feelings and pain. She uses compassionate care to make her patients feel valued and safe enough to voice their pain and fears aloud. Heather often serves as a preceptor to new hires on the unit. Heather collaborates with other preceptors to ensure that new hires can finish training prepared and on-time. Heather has a fantastic attention to detail and an insatiable curiosity. She always strives to do the right thing for the patient and is not afraid to advocate to the nurse to ensure the patient’s comfort. For example, Heather knows that foley catheters and CAUTI prevention are extremely important to both care and organizational goals. She recently questioned a nurse about a patient’s need for a foley—and the catheter was removed. She makes certain the interdisciplinary team can make decisions based on real-time data. Heather recently joined our D5 Unit Council and has become a crucial, engaged member. She also attends Professional Governance Day every month and helps our unit during limited staffing, often staying late to assist night shift. In addition to bedside CNA and preceptor, Heather is our unit clerk—the first person that visitors interact with. She sets the tone for the professional, compassionate and kind interactions that all people can expect from D5 staff. She keeps the nurses on time for Care Progression Huddle by always making sure the next nurse on the schedule is ready to go. Heather ensures our staff have the supplies they need by verifying supply levels and ordering. She places countless work orders and assists in any way she can . . . and then some!
Tim L. Lamberson, Solution Center
Nominated by Gwen Schneider, ICU
Tim Lamberson has consistent outstanding dedication. His work during our International Sepsis Day 2023 conference went above and beyond. From the start of this whole educational-day process, he provided answers and feedback to assist in the development of the educational material. He will ‘drop’ what he is doing to take calls, chat or meet in person. His calm, clear support gives us confidence. During this year’s sepsis day, many complexities emerged for Tim to deal (not all technologies ‘talk’ well with each other!) He reduced technical issues to keep both the in-person audience and those on TEAMS engaged and connected. He reminded us, “YOU’RE the one doing real critical care. You are actually saving lives!” His dedication is intrinsically obvious, yet he is so kind to recognize the stress of the bedside providers-whoever they are- nurses, respiratory, physical, speech therapists, doctors and PA’s etc. This was the seventh year of being indebted to Tim for his assistance with our Sepsis Day events. We could not have a successful presentation without him. His outstanding service and upstanding integrity deserve full recognition and thanks.
Bryan L. Mansell, Solution Center
Nominated by Kelsi Taylor, SH Executive Offices
Bryan consistently goes out of his way to help others; he’s unfailingly cheerful and upbeat, even during large projects like the recent Webex to Teams migration. Bryan is exceptionally good at troubleshooting technical difficulties and making sure our conference rooms run smoothly every day. He’s always present during our hybrid in-person and virtual board meetings, ensuring that if any errors occur or questions arise, they can be fixed, and the meeting can continue. I recently coordinated a large meeting that needed some thoughtful preparation and discussion. Not only did Bryan attend my prep meeting, but he helped think of all the potential technical issues that could arise during presentations and how to solve them. Also, when I had an early morning hybrid meeting and could not allow any room for error, Bryan volunteered to come in early to set up. This work also involves physically going to the home of a Board member to troubleshoot connection issues or transitioning all Board members to new Salem Health issued iPads after normal working hours. Bryan has been invaluable to the executive support team and all Salem Health staff to ensure meetings, interviews and events appear to be seamless by continual process improvement.
Oliver Morris, Float Pool
Nominated by Desirae Jaeger, co-worker
Even with being injured recently, Oliver finds ways to help our position become stronger and more knowledgeable in providing amazing patient care. He has been working with our leaders in advancing/editing our orientation checklists and training programs, and created an orientation checklist to cross-train us to the ED. He is incredibly passionate in the care he provides and that shows during precepting. He is does a great job when it comes to precepting oncoming PCAs. He explains policies and procedures in an easy-to-understand way. Oliver gets along with everyone and despite any
setbacks he may be thrown, he over comes them and makes the best of the situation. His heart and dedication to his coworkers, position, and patients deserves to be acknowledged. From PT Laura Aspinwall: Oliver was on light duty work assignment and inpatient rehab needed a full-time aide. Oliver was agreeable to fill in while on light duty and learned the position quickly. He fit in easily with the staff and busied himself by completing extra tasks on the unit (like deep cleaning and organizing) when he had free time.” The therapy aide is the backbone of the therapy team. The aide ensures our patient therapy schedules are accurate, appropriate equipment is set up, and our equipment and treatment supplies are clean. It can be very hectic at times, but Oli completed what was asked of him with a willing heart and a smile on his face. After two or three weeks, he was cleared to return to full duty, but we had struggled to fill our aide position. With Oliver’s supervisor’s blessing, he remained on staff as our aide several additional weeks. He toured and explained the aide position to applicants prior to their interviews. He trained unscheduled aides from acute to our inpatient rehab position. And finally, he stayed on through my vacation to ensure we would have adequate coverage in my absence. Oliver, you not only did what was asked of you, but gladly did more than what was expected to help our unit run smoother and support the therapy team.
Patrick J. O'Herron, MD, Surgery Clinic
Nominated by Christine Clarke, MD, SHMG Admin
Pat O'Herron is the living definition of Excellence Above and Beyond. A highly skilled, experienced and compassionate surgeon, Dr. O'Herron is a role model for being a team player. As a senior member of the SHMG Trauma and Acute Care surgery team, he is relied on for his clinical wisdom. Dr. O'Herron consistently meets urgent and short notice staffing needs and inspires others to do the same. His long track record of service before self, stepping in to cover staffing needs, been the glue that keeps the team together. Dr. O'Herron is known for being the coolheaded, insightful member of our group. His quiet dedication serves as the bedrock for the entire team. His humble servant leadership directs the focus to his patients and his team. Dr. O'Herron is the resource for our team when considering the details of managing complex patient care and tackling technically challenging cases. He advances the strategy of the entire organization by sharing the surgical care perspective through his service on the Quality Operations Committee. Thank you, Pat, for your outstanding service to your patients, your team and Salem Health!
Estephania Palacios Gomez, Language Access Services
Nominated by Chelsea Lewellyn, Labor & Delivery
It’s such a treat working with Estephania when she interprets for our patients in L & D. She’s gone above and beyond for many patients. Most recently we had a laboring Spanish-speaking patient with no support person with her. Estephania not only spent hours interpreting for us at bedside, she also showed deep compassion and support for the patient as she delivered. In a situation that could have been very overwhelming, Estephania bridged the gap between mother and care team. On another occasion, Estephania was called to our unit for an emergency c-section near the end of her shift. On this particular day, her relief person did not show up when their shift was supposed to start, and Estephania stayed over her shift to help make sure the patient felt safe and taken care of. We are so thankful to work with Estephania and are so appreciative to the role she plays in caring for our patients.
Joanna Peterson, WVH Medical Services
Nominated by Jennifer Ball, WVH
Working with Joanna over the last year and a half, I am continually impressed by her poise, kindness and enthusiasm – regardless of the situation. As a social worker, she helps patients facing complex barriers achieve their discharge goals. At West Valley, we have many challenging cases, so over the past year Joanna has continued to increase her case load. Often Joanna has more patients that the RN Case Managers. Although she has taken on more work, she never lets it affect the attention she provides to each patient. Recently we had taken a referral to our swing bed program for a patient who was paraplegic. After admission, we received information that this patient had been incarcerated for murder and was a sex offender. The patient also had a stage IV pressure sore, colostomy and had been evicted from the previous care home. With her case load already full, Joanna jumped at the chance to help this patient – but with his history, finding a place quickly seemed almost impossible. Joanna worked diligently to find appropriate placement in two weeks. Her ability to set clear boundaries and show compassion is second to none. Close to discharge, this patient attempted to foil the plans – but Joanna didn’t give up. She worked with all the disciplines daily that were seeing the patient to clearly communicate the plans and ensure that everyone was working as a team. The patient discharged to an appropriate facility and on time. During this same period of time Joanna also placed two other difficult patients while maintaining a high caseload. (West Valley does not have assigned ED case managers, so as a team we divvy out the ED referrals as they come into whoever has capacity.) Joanna is usually the first person to volunteer to take on the short notice and quick help that the ED needs. Although she has only been at Salem Health for a little over a year Joanna has quickly become the go-to resource here for complex patients. She shows up to work every day, ready to take on any challenge. Her continued hard work has been a major factor in keeping our unfunded days to a minimum.
Gayle Rodriguez, Care Management
Nominated by Alexandera Rollandi, CVCU
Gayle is always willing and able to help. A CVCU patient needed to transfer to Portland for open heart surgery, but his son was houseless without a cell phone. Gayle was approached by the bedside nurse regarding the patient’s request to see his son prior to transfer. Without hesitation Gayle began calling local shelters and shelters outside of the area to locate the son. Unfortunately, we were unable to make contact before the transfer. Gayle’s eagerness to go above and beyond for this patient demonstrates the kind of care manager she is. Gayle is always quick to act and provide support to staff, patients and families. Gayle has on many occasions stayed late to facilitate challenging discharges. A patient requiring a large amount of oxygen was being discharged home. Gayle collaborated with RT and located a company that could accommodate this patient’s oxygen need. Gayle always takes the initiative to begin discharge planning the moment barriers pop up. A patient came in after experiencing a heart attack. His wife was with him -- but it was obvious they had a difficult relationship. The patient had driven to the hospital, but the wife could not drive, and the patient was her primary caregiver. The wife needed to go home and get her medications, but they had no local family who could help, so Gayle helped the bedside RN coordinate getting the wife home by calling the patient’s friends and find her a ride. Gayle notified the bedside RN that security could move the patient’s car parked in front of the ED if the patient was ok with that. This relieved the patient’s stress. Gayle also began to start discharge planning with the patient to ensure that he would have a safe discharge when the time came. Gayle makes a daily effort to attend all the different interdisciplinary rounds on the unit she works on. She worked with unit council on many occasions to provide updates to the primary rounding sheets the nurse's use on a daily basis. Gayle is incredibly knowledgeable about all the patients on the unit and never delays getting involved.
Amber R. Rouleau, NTCU
Nominated by Chris Lentz, co-worker
Amber has been part of the NTCU family for 15 years, holding various positions while remaining a strong, dedicated nurse. She joined Unit Council two years ago as co-chair, where she actively engages staff to join committees, solicits the greater good and importance of being involved. She helped come up with the “This or That” monthly question for staff to pin their name/pic on a board designed by UC outside of the locker room ranging from Mountains or Beach to Pepsi or Coke to Introvert or Extrovert to even more fun or silly options. With help from the Unit Council, education sessions are now part of required attendance. Amber has taught many sessions including seizures and treatment interventions, lumbar drains set up and maintenance, NSTEMI protocol and drips, code blues drills, and much more. Unit council builds the sessions based upon the needs or requests of the bedside staff. She has been an avid mentor and preceptor for over a decade on NTCU to both students and new hires, which is no easy feat. She is steadfast, calm, and may have brain running at 1,000 mph, but does not express it outwardly. She maintains her hard-earned Certified Neuroscience RN (CNRN) that is not required on the unit but helps to improve patient outcomes. She is currently studying for yet another certification that’s not required, the Stroke Certified RN (SCRN) since she works on a JCAHO-certified stroke unit. Amber recently decided she was up to another challenge and applied to be charge. She is calmly taking on this position as she does her other roles! Amber helps to “grow” staff while using her keen insight when making assignments or assigning new patients. She works to push everyone to that next level. Amber is one of our pillars!
Misti Shilhanek White, SHMG Admin
Nominated by Christine Clarke, MD, SHMG Admin
Amber Aguinaga also helped me with this nomination. From Dr. Clarke: Misti distinguished herself through demonstrating a relentless commitment to excellence above and beyond in her support for the onboarding of Salem Health Medical Group Orthopedic Clinic and services from the summer of 2023 through the present. Through her excellent work onboarding staff and providers and standardizing processes and workflows, Salem Health Medical Group has continued to grow to meet the needs of our patients and communities. What started as a special short-term assignment for Misti has made the need for a specialized practice transition team visible. Misti's clinical background as a registered nurse, and her experience as a Lean leader helped her guide the successful incorporation of the Salem Health Orthopedic clinic into the culture of Salem Health.” From Amber Aguinaga: “Misti has not only demonstrated a deep commitment to growing her knowledge and understanding of outpatient clinic practices, but she has also taken on numerous leadership roles across the medical group, often going beyond her immediate span of control. Misti’s ability to step into challenging situations and lead with confidence has been instrumental in the success of many initiatives. For example, when the orthopedic clinic joined us, it brought a unique set of challenges to fully integrate into our organization. Misti didn’t hesitate to problem-solve, guiding the team through steps to ensure a smooth transition. Her ability to think strategically, communicate effectively, and collaborate with various stakeholders was key to overcoming the obstacles. Misti has continued to take on a leading role in driving key procedural capacity work within the orthopedic clinic. This area is crucial for the clinic’s ongoing success and patient. Her proactive approach and ability to handle complex projects with efficiency and insight have made her a trusted and respected leader within the medical group. What sets Misti apart is her willingness to lead projects that extend beyond her area of responsibility. She was instrumental during the recent CrowdStrike computer outage, working countless hours fixing computers and teaching and supporting. Her leadership is marked by a genuine concern for the well-being of her team and a deep commitment to the health of our community.
Sean Z. Sickler, Nutrition Services
Nominated by Angela Smith, NUTS Admin
On the morning of July 19, we woke up to a computer crisis that affected everything across the world. When Sean came into work he quickly realized that with none of our computers working, we couldn’t take care of patient meals. Without hesitation Sean started moving all of the computers out of the conference room into the call center to get the call center up and running to serve meals. He then created an Excel spreadsheet of nutrition computers that were offline. This was great to hand off to IS! Sean also became trained as a superuser to round the hospital with a team and push a fix through to the computers to get them back. “Whenever there is an emergency, Sean is there to help, no questions asked. He leads by example - he is dependable and consistent in following policies, procedures, and workflows.” Sean really shines with his expertise in data analysis, from designing data collection processes to creating complex Excel spreadsheets, as well as providing education to others so they can perform these tasks. Sean is up for any challenge (even if it puts too much on his plate) and will face problems head-on, silently solving complex problems without expecting recognition. Sean has been a key player in many innovative projects working to increase patient safety, as well as both patient and employee satisfaction. He is the “secret ingredient” in a dish that elevates the flavor and sets it apart from the rest. Like adding a pinch of salt to homemade ice cream or fresh lemon zest to lemon meringue pie, leading you to win the annual bake-off. Sean helps elevate our work to the next level, and does so with a positive attitude every day. We are lucky to have him on the Nutrition Services team!”
Brittany Smith, Mother/Baby Unit
Nominated by Madalyn Kinsey, MBU
Brittany is always doing projects and tasks beyond her duties -- just to make work easier for everyone. Some examples: 1) Moving the call light system to be in between the charge RN and the UC to allow quick accessibility for the charge RN to answer the call light when the UC is not around. Improving patient safety. 2) Organizing office supplies for easier access and the ability to see all the supplies. 3) She’s not only efficient, but looks professional and organized. 4) Organizing the nurse servers to only consist of the most needed items to save time on re-stocking. 5) Ordering for the unit, ensuring we have the supplies we need. 6) Discards all expired items and rotates items to ensure that we are getting use of all items. This leads to reduced waste for the unit and the hospital as a whole. 7) Brittany is also tasked with precepting new hires and does so efficiently. I know that the people she precepts will come out knowing what to do. As a charge RN, I can rely on Brittany to know what to do when I am not at the desk. She speaks up when there is a problem and does not shy away from conflict. She faces it head on, ensuring the best possible solution. Brittany often picks up extra shifts. She always has a positive attitude! Brittany also goes above and beyond for her coworkers in any way she can. Whether it is getting vitals on time, ensuring people take their breaks, and always checking in on how she can help, she is a team player all around.
Emily Sweet, Internal Communications Lead
Nominated by Julie Burton, Marketing & Communications Director
In case you haven’t noticed, our intranet has exploded into a marketplace of amazing stories, inspiring staff profiles and hubs of targeted information for staff and leaders. This work has resulted in the increase of two-way staff engagement as seen in the many “likes” comments we receive on Daily Dose content. Who’s behind this needed trend after months of Covid isolation? Emily Sweet, who joined SH in early 2023. She jumped on the task of helping to re-invent the intranet, while assuming standard tasks of editing Daily Dose stories and the Common Ground newsletter for medical staff. Emily went above and beyond in communicating this complex transition with staff and leaders with comprehensive FAQs and stories, while keeping the OLD internet up for a while for “hand holding”. Thanks to her, the major transition was smooth and incredibly quiet. In fact, there were no issues. Bringing employee engagement to a new level, however, is only one reason Emily excels. She brings a unique gift—her compassionate, in-depth writing. She shines a light in little pockets of our organization by sharing personality profiles that instill pride and respect. On average, her stories garner the most visits and likes of any on the Daily Dose. “Rather than just write basic information about staff, Emily spends the extra time to know them, even their families,” said Shannon Priem, senior content specialist. “She also writes about complex, hot issues the same way, which increases understand and engagement.“ Her story-telling writing style personalizes our vision, showing how our people live, what they love and how they care. She also chooses stories that show a broad diversity. As an example, she wrote a popular story about a vulnerable nurse who struggles with mental illness in a way that connected with so many readers—a brave story we had never done before. Emily also brings a professional photography background, as evident in the photos you see on the Daily Dose and Hub. “Emily’s writing skills are exceptional, but her ability to identify stories and tell them in a meaningful way is unmatched,” said Leilani Slama, Chief Communications and Community Relations Officer. “Emily has a sixth sense to understand what will resonate with employees and how to convey complicated information in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand. She has brought a fresh perspective to our communications that is very much appreciated, creating a faithful following of her delightful and creative methods of sharing information. Emily is fun, and she takes mundane and routine information and makes it fun for employees as well.”
Nathan K. Tucker, Pediatrics
Nominated by Andrea Bell, Pediatrics
From the letter of a mother we cared for: “We are contacting you regarding a CNA named Nate whom we would like to recognize. Nate worked with both my children for outpatient echocardiograms and bloodwork. My children are neurodivergent and have histories of trauma, so accessing medical care is difficult for them (thus, we were referred to the Peds Unit by their pediatrician). Nate was kind, respectful of our family’s wishes and my children’s bodily autonomy. He remembered information we shared during one appointment and intentionally applied it during the next appointment. Nate’s role, combined with the culture of the entire Peds Unit and other staff, resulted in my children having a positive, trauma-free medical experience.” Nate's approach of getting to know each child and their parents on a personal level, through asking specific questions exemplifies his commitment to outstanding care. By using team nursing and tailoring his approach to the unique needs of each child, Nate ensures that their experience nothing short of exceptional. His compassionate heart dedication to advocating for children has not gone unnoticed. Families frequently recognize Nate for his ability to serve as a strong advocate. Thank you for your continued dedication and commitment to providing exceptional care to those we serve.
Webb C. Wilson, DO, Urgent Care
Nominated by Cecilia Easdale, patient advocate
Dr. Wilson is consistently one of our most empathic and humble leaders. As the Urgent Care Medical Director, he demonstrates constantly what a servant leader in action is: Lead by example treating everyone with the outmost respect and compassion, often going above and beyond to understand situations with genuine curiosity and accountability, taking every opportunity for learning and improving the quality of care. He has played a key role to champion positive changes in patient care, including interventions to decrease the risk of patient harm. Besides his many strengths and attributes, and despite his busy role, he is always approachable to our team, never defensive and always eager to take every circumstance as a chance to make us grow as a leading healthcare organization in this community. Dr. Wilson is an amazing asset to not only urgent care, but this entire institution. We look forward to continue working with him, we hope, for a long, very long time. Our deepest gratitude for your dedication and courage to look positively at concerns as a golden opportunity for growth.
Diana Woods, Care Management
Nominated by Amber L. Aguinaga, executive offices
Diana works on the discharge-ready unit. Her role is complex, yet she handles it with remarkable grace, compassion, and professionalism. Diana’s job is multifaceted and demands a deep understanding of the social, economic, insurance, and health-related challenges that patients face. She works closely with patients, many of whom are in difficult or vulnerable situations, to find placements in long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, or appropriate community settings. This often involves navigating through complicated systems of care. One of the many qualities that sets Diana apart is her exceptional attention to detail. When I work with her as one of the hospital notaries, she consistently prepares patients well in advance for their notary needs. Her meticulous preparation demonstrates not only her organizational skills but her deep commitment to ensuring the process is as easy as possible. Whether she’s collaborating with fellow staff members or working directly with patients, her kindness and empathy shine through. I have personally seen she makes patients feel heard and cared for during what can often be a challenging period in their lives. Her positive attitude is infectious, and she has earned the admiration and trust of both her colleagues and the patients she serves. She approaches every situation with care, ensuring that patients are not only discharged to the most suitable place but also feel supported throughout the process. She exemplifies the highest standards of social work and patient care, making a profound difference in the lives of those she helps.