You are used to working in difficult situations. Doing more than what’s required might as well be part of your job description. Helping patients and team members is part of your DNA. I have seen it countless times during my Baptist career.
However, the lengths you went to late last week, not only to get to work, but to help your fellow team members and patients, was amazing. I cannot thank you enough for working for others; spending nights at the hospital; driving and walking in the cold, snow and ice; and helping in a variety of other ways. Thank you for doing all you could to get to work. Thank you for sacrificing your own comfort and convenience for our patients’ well being. Thank you for your dedication to making sure our entities continued to operate as smoothly as possible.
You are the heart and soul of Baptist. Your commitment to our organization makes us great. You are my heroes.
Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” I can think of no better embodiment of this scripture than your work last week.
Sincerely
Jason Little
Here are some of the incredible things Baptist team members did to get to work, help others and take care of patients during the snow last week.
[toggle title=”Baptist Memphis” state=”open”]- After her car got stuck in the snow, Carrie Twickler left her car and walked to the hospital, determined to arrive on time.
- Admissions representatives Shantell Daniel and Debra Kent were among the Baptist OneCare super users who traveled to Baptist Huntingdon to help with the hospital’s go-live.
- After learning a Hospital Wing helicopter was landing at the hospital in 10 minutes, ED team members sprung into action, clearing a spot on the helipad for the helicopter to land.
- About 100 team members spent Wednesday and Thursday night at the hospital.
- CEO and administrator Anita Vaughn was among several non-food and nutrition services team members who served patient meals. Kris, Azlin, Beverly Reed, Brenda Delaney and Janie Boswell also delivered meals to patients.
- Anita Vaughn, Beverly Reed, Karen Ingram, Lyn Sperling, Missy Clifton, Janie Boswell, Kris Azlin and Madison Tyler served lunch in the cafeteria. FNS team members Rena Swift, Dorothy Dugger, Queen Cox, Linda Palmer and Sam Wainwright (the only cook working on Thursday) oriented the makeshift staff and kept things running smoothly in the cafeteria. Linda also drove team members to work.
- FNS director Ralph Carmouche drove several team members to work and bought food that vendors were unable to deliver because of the weather.
- Patty Robinson, whose workday at the Women’s Health Center begins at 5:45 a.m., climbed out her window to make sure she wouldn’t be late for work. The wind, rain sleet and snow had frozen her front door shut.
- Because Sylvia Scott lives two hours away from the hospital, she spent a night with a friend after working a 12-hour shift, and she was back at work at 6 a.m. the next morning. She worked until late that evening to help with the workload, spent that night at the hospital and volunteered to work on the following day.
- Baptist OneCare super users Kristi Davis and Bonnie Beasley went to Baptist Union City a day early to help with the hospital’s go-live. They started work the afternoon before their shift so the super users they relieved could get home ahead of the bad weather.
- Joan Vest spent two nights at the hospital so she could start her shifts on time.
- Orientee Sophie McCormack stayed with a relative to make sure she would be on time for her 5 a.m. shift.
- Alice Thomas, a New Albany, Miss., resident, woke up at 2:15 a.m. so she would arrive on time for her 5 a.m. shift. Her husband, Christopher, a Baptist Union County team member, drove her to work.
- Physical therapists Becky Larsen and Beth Sellhorn helped in the NICU even though both could have stayed home. Becky was scheduled to help with Baptist Rehab-Germantown’s Baptist OneCare go-live, but was told she didn’t need to come in, and all of Beth’s patients cancelled their appointments.
- Graduate assistant Allison Bosse assisted with hearing screenings on newborns.
- Tara Brewer, a mammography technologist at the Women’s Health Center, drove to work from Drummonds, Tenn. Most of the mammography patients rescheduled, so Women’s Health Center team members were told they could go home. Tara volunteered to stay and help in Women’s Hospital units that needed additional staffing.
- Team members who spent the night in the hospital cleaned the rooms they slept in, and labor and delivery team members cleaned their own discharged patient rooms.
- Tracy Taylor, Brooke Davis, Lynn Micci, Julie Hitt, Ann Spiotta, Laura Henson, Laura Griggs, Barbara Carson, Melanie Hanson, Tiny Jones, Jamie Jones, Chelsea Underwood, Cheryell Ward, Vicki Smith and Diane Freeman all arrived at work on time.
- Chief Financial Officer Sharron Holland served as a temporary PBX/receptionist.
- Derrick Jowers and Brent Oatsvall picked up team members who were unable to drive to work.
A number of team members made it to work despite car trouble.
- Travis York hitchhiked part of the way and walked the rest of the way.
- Jodi Poole’s car door was frozen shut, so she walked to work.
- Lindsey Moore did the same, not wanting to drive on the icy roads.
- Chertha Yarber walked two miles to work.
- Marianela Barnett walked part of the way, until Tommy Shroads saw her and drove her the rest of the way.
- Todd Applewhite, Mark Ottens and Debbie Swan also gave fellow team members a ride to and from work.
- Pam Sage, Diane Conner, Kelley Clinton, Armona Daughaday, Mary Bragg and Debbie Swan helped environmental services team members pick up and dump trash.
- About 40 team members spent Wednesday and Thursday night at the hospital to make sure they could start their shifts on time.[/toggle]
- Scott Collins moved a patient’s car to make sure it was parked correctly.
- Tom Isaak worked for one of his colleagues so she wouldn’t have to travel the icy roads. He volunteered to do the same the following night.
- Kim Hines rescued a co-worker who was stuck in the snow for hours.
- Michelle Wilson stayed after her shift ended to make sure her unit remained fully staffed.
- Several nurses whose cars had four-wheel drive took fellow team members home to make sure they could be with their families.
- Not one ICU/step down/telemetry team member has called in this year because of the inclement weather.
- 18 team members spent the night at the hospital to ensure patient care was uninterrupted.
- An environmental services team member took a nurse’s scrubs home to wash them to make sure the nurse, who spent the night at the hospital, had clean scrubs for her next shift.
- A nurse’s car ran off the road into a ditch, and she still made it to work.
- A nurse manager braved the elements to purchase and deliver breakfast to all team members.
- Mike Worsham drove to work and opened the pharmacy so an ED patient could receive much-needed medication. As a result of his actions, the patient was able to go home a few days later.
[/toggle] [toggle title=”Baptist Golden Triangle” state=”open”]
- Rather than turning around and going back home when the roads became too difficult to travel, Robyn Dalton asked her brother-in-law to take her to work so she could care for her patients.
- CEO and administrator Skipper Bondurant drove Baptist OneCare super users to and from the hospital in 10 inches of snow to make sure they arrived safely.
- Amy Jo Young rode to work in her fiancé’s four wheeler.
- Melissa Harris and Jennifer Emerson came to the hospital on their day off to help with staffing needs.
- 2 South team members arranged for free breakfast for patients whose procedures were cancelled.
- Angela Severs and Fyunyetta Roberts helped push a team member’s car out of the snow after his shift so he could get home.
- Brenda Cryderman traveled to Baptist Union City early to make sure she could help with the hospital’s Baptist OneCare go-live.
- A number of team members, including Amanda Miller, Rhonda Thomas (who picked up on-call duty for a co-worker), Lisa Griffin and Sherrita Walton, stayed at hotels at their own expense to make sure they could get to work on time.
- Lisa White, Christine Malcom and Sarah Addison were among the team members who spent the night at the hospital so they could begin their shifts on time.
- Christy Cameron-Mills walked a mile to work.
- Two team members who have been with Baptist for fewer than 90 days – Janice Smith and Tekisha DePriest ‒ volunteered to work beyond their shifts to cover for those who could not come in.
- 45-year team member Della Wright, who was recently in a terrible car accident and is not yet comfortable driving, spent the night at the hospital before her shift, started her rounds early and spent another night so she could continue helping her colleagues.
- Rhonda Jackson-Craig, Kathy Smith, Robin Perry, Vicki Ross and April Hilsdon took on additional duties, showering and dressing patients, making beds and delivering trays. Rhonda, a unit secretary, and Kathy, a head nurse, aren’t normally responsible for these duties, and Robin, Vicki and April showered and dressed double the number of patients they normally would.
- Kimberly Collier came in early and Jameelah Muhammad worked a double shift to cover for colleagues who couldn’t make it in.
- Starr Roberts helped push a colleague’s car out of a parking spot.
- Scottie Langston went to Baptist Union City early to help with the hospital’s go-live.
- Mary Anderson stayed past her shift and was prepared to work for 24 hours straight.
- Laura Staten spent three nights at the hospital to make sure she wouldn’t miss a shift. In addition, after working a 12-hour shift, she worked an additional three hours.
- David Dorris walked two miles to work.
- Bruce Tyson arrived at the hospital early and slept in his car to make sure he was on time for work.
- Although he was unable to travel to Baptist Rehab-Germantown to help with its Baptist OneCare go-live, Christopher Spangler spent Thursday auditing every single clinical encounter from Monday and Tuesday, helping Baptist Rehab-Germantown enhance its documentation practice. On Friday, he audited Wednesday documentation, provided an additional report, and worked with Baptist Rehab-Germantown managers even though he wasn’t assigned to the hospital that day.
- Marylyle Boolos walked to work.
- Baptist Trinity staff drove through the ice and snow to take care of more than 500 patients at their homes or by phone during the bad weather.
- Samantha Walters got stuck on the highway on her way to a patient’s home and had to be rescued by state troopers. She continued on to her patient’s home after being rescued and cared for her other homebound patients.
- Ernestine Matthews made her regular visits to patients’ homes after spending more than an hour thawing the ice surrounding her door.
- Teresa Cannon, Valerie Kelley, Dabney Smith and Tina Martinez spent two nights at the Baptist Trinity Home Care and Hospice office to make sure others could get back to the office to work the next day. The daytime staff stayed to accept new patients, obtain orders, help patients by phone and assist staff with patients and schedules.