The latest group of Service First champions went to great lengths to provide exceptional care to their patients and help their fellow team members. Read their inspiring stories.
Baptist Golden Triangle, 4th Quarter 2019
Katelyn Vest is a pharmacy technician in the inpatient pharmacy department at Baptist Golden Triangle. She was nominated by a colleague for going above and beyond her normal work assignments by helping patients and the community alike. She started a social media push for blanket donations for those in need last winter. Katelyn collected 75 blankets, some of which she hand-delivered to patients. She helped feed another patient who was unable to feed himself. She learned about two local young children who lost their special stuffed animals in a tornado, and she replaced them. Katelyn also delivered medication to a patient’s home after learning that he had no way of getting the medication on his own. Her nominators wrote that they are thankful for Katelyn’s compassion for her patients and those in need in her community.
Baptist Corporate 4th Quarter 2019
Heather Harrison is a night shift nurse in the patient placement center. Last summer, the center experienced an unexpected downtime to their applications, leaving the day shift without access to some of the applications they use to flow patients through the system. The night shift still had access to their applications. Heather volunteered to stay over her night shift and help print out schedules and write down phone numbers and call schedules. Without her help, staff wouldn’t have been able to facilitate patient transfers from one hospital to another. Her nominator wrote that it’s just one example of Heather going above and beyond for her unit and the Baptist mission.
Baptist Corporate 1st Quarter 2020
Matt Deshotels is a discharge call nurse whose compassion was recently discovered during a service recovery call. Matt made what was supposed to be a routine post-discharge phone call to a patient’s wife. Her husband had been discharged from the hospital with a Foley catheter and she, as the primary caregiver, wasn’t given appropriate instructions on how to operate it. She was understandably upset as the bag was starting to fill up and she didn’t know how to empty it. Matt stayed on the phone, walking her through the process, teaching her to empty it. He also taught her how to care for the Foley bag. The patient’s wife also told Matt she couldn’t get a follow-up appointment with a physician for her husband, so Matt took the time to book one for her. The wife was so grateful and praised him for his helpfulness, telling the nominator that Matt had taken care of all her concerns .
Mississippi Baptist Medical Center 1st Quarter 2020
Anthony Simon is a floor technician at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center who went beyond the call of duty on his free time. Security was called to assist an older couple who had a flat tire on the hospital campus. By the time a security guard arrived, Anthony had already changed their tire. He checked in for his shift and never mentioned his good deed to his supervisor. His nominator wrote that Anthony is always willing to assist his teammates, staff members, patients and visitors.
Baptist Union County 1st Quarter 2020
Amanda Douglas RN, BSN, is a certified emergency nurse at Baptist Union County. She was nominated by a colleague because she is very passionate about patient care, going above and beyond routine care in the emergency department. She even checks on her patients after they are discharged from the hospital. Her nominator wrote that Amanda demonstrates compassion and empathy. This is the second time she has been named a Service First Champion.
Baptist Leake 1st Quarter 2020
Ke’Hanna Holley is a technical lab assistant at Primary Care Clinic. Her nominator wrote she provides outstanding service by having the right mindset when arriving at work. She is excellent with children, helping them feel comfortable and at ease. Parents say that Ke’Hanna is very kind when she draws blood. Her nominator wrote that she is easy to get along with and is friendly to colleagues and patients alike.
Baptist Attala 1st Quarter 2020
Hope Rodgers is a nurse educator at Baptist Attala. In her role, she is one of the first people employees interact with, providing a pleasant first experience for new hires. She sits on various committees, assisting with performance improvement. She even recently filled in as a case manager to help with daily operations. Hope’s nominator wrote that she is dependable and dedicated, always with a smile.
