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Today’s Date: February 7, 2008
St. Joseph’s honors 236 co-workers with 2,590 combined years of service
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – St. Joseph’s Mercy Health Center recently honored 236 co-workers – with a combined total of 2,590 years of service – during its annual Service Awards Dinner at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
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 service pins and other gifts as they crossed the Horner Hall stage. Heading the list of those honored were 40-year co-worker Dorothy Riddley, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Medical Assistant I, and 35-year co-worker Nancy Ennis, an Electronic Medical Records Analyst.
Four 30-year co-workers – Charlotte Ainsworth (Accounting), Jean Hall (Pharmacy), Edna Hurrell (Surgery) and Cathy Shelton (Transcription) – were awarded gold Mercy cross service pins and gifts, while six 25-year co-workers – Pamela Barrett (5 West), Micheal Childress (Mercy Diabetes & Wound Center), Esther Mahone (ICU), Cathy Shinn (Laboratory), Stephen Walker (Pharmacy) and Sedalia Hickey (Respiratory) – received personally engraved watches and gold Mercy cross service pins.
In rounding out the other co-workers who were honored, 15 were awarded gold 20-year Mercy cross service pins, 71 silver 15-year Mercy cross service pins, 38 silver 10-year Mercy cross service pins and 100 silver five-year Mercy cross service pins.
Thirteen retirees – with a combined total of 234 years of service – were also recognized and awarded gifts. Together Everybody Achieves More (T.E.A.M.) awards were then presented to Human Resources, Accounting/Payroll, Intensive Care Unit, Infection Control, Environmental Services, Safety Specialist Marlena Dodd and Dr. Vineet Chopra, the medical director for St. Joseph’s Hospitalist Service.
The final highlight of the evening came when it was announced that Nutritional Services Director Jeff Erwin was the second recipient of St. Joseph’s 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 St. Joseph’s culture.
“I was honored when I learned I had been nominated for the award, so winning it still has me in a state of shock,” said Erwin, who has been with St. Joseph’s for over 17 years. “Ray and I grew up in this organization together and he was a tremendous mentor for me relative to staffing and personnel issues. I also consider Ray to be a great friend, so to win an award that was named after him is a real honor.
“I was also more than honored that the co-workers in my department nominated me and had such nice and supportive things to say about me and my leadership style. St. Joseph’s is a fine organization and many of its outstanding leaders were on the stage when they made the announcement, so to say that I was humbled when I heard my name would be an understatement. We are one big family, and I am just honored to be a part of the St. Joseph’s team.”
Other St. Joseph’s leaders nominated for the Ray Pelton Leadership Award were Brenda Chase (Patient Care Services), Michele Diedrich (Patient Care Services), Judy Preuitt (Mercy Information Systems), John Lindsey (Respiratory), Lizz King (Case Management), Jennifer Burton (2 West Pediatrics-Medical-Surgery), Gayle Drobena (Human Resources) and Darlene Weaver (Emergency Department).
A member of the Sisters of Mercy Health System, St. Joseph’s is a not-for-profit Catholic hospital and two-time recipient of the large-company Gold Award at the Governor’s Family Friendly Employer Awards ceremony in the spring of 2006 and 2007. For further information on the Arkansas Governor’s Family Friendly Employer awards, as well as services and employment opportunities offered by St. Joseph’s, please visit saintjosephs.com.
