Texas County Memorial Hospital gave out top worker awards and honored 42 employees with service awards at the 30th annual celebration of TCMH employees on Dec. 7 at Faith Fellowship Church in Houston.
Sheena Painter of Elk Creek and Avery Parker of Willow Springs took top honors as co-managers of the year, chosen by the hospital administrative team. Jennifer Smith of Houston was voted employee of the year.
Painter is a registered nurse and the point of care nurse manager for the hospital’s electronic medical records system. Parker is the hospital’s biomedical engineer.
“It’s exciting that we have two managers sharing the manager of the year award this year,” said Wes Murray, chief executive officer at TCMH. “Both are excellent managers with a wide range of abilities that come from totally opposite ends of the spectrum.”
Painter has been a TCMH employee since 2004.
“Sheena provides direct patient care, and she works closely with the physicians and the staff at TCMH,” Murray said.
He noted that Painter “communicates well with everyone she works with.”
“Sheena has excellent computer skills, and she’s willing to help out in every department from pharmacy to OB to the floor,” said Doretta Todd-Willis, chief nursing officer at TCMH.
Parker joined the hospital in 2005. He is very involved in the hospital’s Customer Quality Team and the Employee Activities Committee.
“Avery is more behind the scenes, inspecting our equipment, keeping it calibrated and working properly,” Murray said.
Murray said Painter and Parker are “an extremely valuable component of our managerial team.”
“Sheena and Avery bring so much to our organization in different ways,” Murray said.
Linda Pamperien, chief financial officer at TCMH, complimented Painter and Parker on great attitudes.
“They are both willing to do whatever is needed whenever it’s needed,” Pamperien said.
The employee of the year award is limited to the individuals who have received the honor of employee of the month since the 2011 employee awards ceremony. All employees are allowed to vote for employee of the year by choosing one employee of the month in a secret ballot vote.
Smith is registered nurse in the emergency department at TCMH, and she has worked at the hospital for four years. Smith won employee of the month honors in June. Doctors, nurses, patients, visitors and other departmental staff members all interact with Smith in her role as an emergency department nurse.
“Jennifer has developed great nursing skills in the time that she’s been a nurse,” Todd-Willis said.
Smith is known to “lead by example” with a positive and enthusiastic demeanor, encouraging others to do the same.
“Everyone loves Jennifer,” Todd-Willis said.
The managers of the year and the employee of the year were honored with an engraved plaque, $500 cash, a pin and a day of paid time off.
The TCMH Customer Quality Team honored two employees that exemplified excellent customer service in the hospital organization in 2012. Becky Brawley, the nurse for Dr. Schaun Flaim at the TCMH Medical Complex in Houston, and Frank Steelman, a paramedic in the emergency medical services department, were chosen to receive the honor.
Brawley and Steelman were each awarded a plaque and given a cash award.
The Customer Quality Team also recognized the TCMH obstetrics department as “Customer Service Department of the Year.” The department consistently provided excellent customer service to patients, visitors and other departments within the hospital, while continuing to try to improve the quality of the service provided by the department.
The TCMH obstetrics department reached the 99th percentile in overall patient satisfaction, according to patient surveys completed in 2012, too.
The department will receive a special meal in their honor.
Murray and Omanez Fockler, chairperson of the TCMH board of trustees, recognized employees with service awards.
Recognized for five years of service were: Deborah Belt-Kell; Whitney Christeson; Melanie Evans; Tina Flores; Dannel Hardwick; Kirby Holmes; Kevin Kinserlow; Delinda Lansdown; Courtney Owens; Dr. Charlie Rasmussen; John Sawyer; James Spantgos; Donna Spantgos; Marie Stark; Tracey Stewart; Andrea Turner; and Kara Wright
Recognized for 10 years of service were: Debra Breckenridge; Elizabeth Curtis; Joleen Senter Durham; Susan Flores; Joyce Hull; Wesley Murray; Mary Roderick; Jeffrey Scott; and Dr. William Wright.
Recognized for 15 years of service were: Scott Baker; Terry Bruno; Wilma Campbell; Sandy Eaton; Dr. Charles Mueller; Tamala Pliler-Rogers; Susan Schondel; and Frankie Topping.
Recognized for 20 years of service were: Ellen Davis; Karen Geer; Rachel Phillips; and MeriBeth Tieden.
Other honors included: Todd-Willis, 25 years; Alice Wells, 30 years; Becky Scott, 35 years; and Fred Wood, 40 years.
TCMH also gave out prizes to hospital employees that had volunteered at hospital events throughout the year. About 165 people, including 110 employees, attended the event.