Every month, PPMC staff members who embody Service, Teamwork, Achievement, and Respect are named Presby STARs. In addition to earning recognition from their colleagues, these outstanding all-stars also receive a certificate from CEO Michele Volpe and a $100 award.
Even on the most stressful days, Presby’s staff demonstrate exceptional empathy and professionalism – from nurse Elizabeth O’Connor, BSN, RN, and her trainee, Peyton Alvino, BSN, RN, who wheeled a discharged patient home to her nearby apartment when there were no cabs available, to Doreen Masters, a patient care associate in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit who gently explained to a visitor that there were too many people in the patient's room and, for the safety of the patient and staff, she would need to wait. A colleague noted, “Doreen was so patient while the visitor angrily protested that she should be allowed to visit. In the end, the visitor waited and watched TV until she could visit with her loved one.”
MRI technologist Chelsea Cohen provided the “true definition of patient care” for a particularly anxious patient, offering her a mask to use as a blindfold so she wouldn’t see the confined space and holding her hand while the study was being performed. “Chelsea could have called the floor to ask for meds to get the patient through it,” a colleague wrote. “Instead, she stood by her side.”
Cynthia Lehman, BSN, RN, a nurse on Cupp 3 East, also demonstrated extraordinary kindness for an elderly heart failure patient and her husband, who had lost their only daughter years before. As the anniversary of their daughter’s death approached, they showed increased signs of stress and anxiety. “Cindy stepped in to reduce their stress by escorting the husband down to the cafeteria daily to purchase meals, provided emotional support, and helped the husband find his car when he could not remember where he parked,” wrote Paula Gabriel, MSN, a unit-based educator. “Cindy’s calming presence and compassionate care helped her patient and her husband not only get through the hospitalization, but also a difficult time.”
Thank you to all of our STARs for your unwavering commitment and compassion. You are an inspiration to your patients, colleagues, and community!
NOVEMBER 2021
- Chelsea Cohen – Magnetic Resonance Imaging – MRI Technologist
- Melissa White – CUPP Pavilion 5 South – Clinical Nurse 2
- Doreen Masters – Neuro Intensive Care Unit – Patient Care Associate
- Elizabeth O’Connor – PAC5 NSU – Clinical Nurse 1
OCTOBER 2021
- Shelby Brewington – Food Services – Food Service Worker
- Wesley Strickland – Trauma Advanced Providers – Physician Assistant
- Cynthia Lehman – Cardiology 3 East – Clinical Nurse 2
- Susan Gullo – PAC5 NSU – Clinical Nurse 2
SEPTEMBER 2021
- Christina Thoumma – PAC3-HVICU – Patient Care Associate
- Amy Bobb – Social Service PPMC – Social Worker II
- Thomas Mickler, MD – Anesthesiology – Physician