HERMISTON, OR – On Thursday, February 9, two Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) employees were recognized at the 17th Annual Night of Excellence Summit Awards Celebration, at the Healthcare Service Excellence Conference (HCSEC) in Long Beach California, hosted by Custom Learning Systems (CLS).
Nominations for the Summit Awards were based on recommendations by GSHCS employees which were then pooled together with 240 nominees from 21 healthcare organizations spanning 15 states. Fifty-Five of the nominations were chosen as Pinnacle Achievers (the best of the best), and 19 of those 55 were presented the Summit Award. In all, GSHCS had nominated 14 individuals for Summit Awards.
After a rigorous vetting process, out of the 14 individuals submitted by GSHCS, the CLS selection committee chose two individuals for Pinnacle Awards – Patient Financial Services Manager, Jonathan Edwards was recognized as an Empowering Manager, and Emergency Services Registered Nurse, Susan Stephens was recognized as an Exceptional Nurse.
Mr. Edwards was chosen by a submission from one of his employees who stated, “I feel what Jonathan displays is different from other managers. He pushes harder and makes higher goals. He really tries to make us reach further and push ourselves further than we thought we could, and when we reach our goal it makes it that much more of a blessing.” Likewise, Ms. Stephens was chosen based on a submission from her peers which stated, “Susan is a big part of our sexual assault task force. The time and energy she gives of herself to helping victims are inspiring. She pours her heart into this task force and has helped develop a procedure for victims of sexual assault. When a nurse has as much passion as Susan, her patients feel her dedication and commitment to them and her profession.”
Out of all of the nominations for Exceptional Nurse, Ms. Stephens was selected by the CLS selection committee as the recipient of this year's Exceptional Nurse Summit Award. The Summit Award is the highest award of excellence presented at the HCSEC. It is awarded to qualified, innovative, and progressive individuals, teams, and healthcare facilities who have made outstanding progress towards improving the patient experience and staff engagement.
“We have an exceptional team,” said President and CEO of GSHCS, Dennis Burke, who continued, “Each of the 14 individuals nominated for this year's Summit Awards are very worthy candidates. Though I would like to express my congratulations to Jonathan Edwards for receiving the Pinnacle Award for Empowering Manager and to Susan Stephens for being recognized at the top – her hard work and dedication to providing excellent patient care are evident in all she does, and deserving of the recognition as Exceptional Nurse and being the individual recipient of this year's Summit Award!”
In addition, GSHCS received a third place award for their employee engagement video, Coming Home (Hermiston). GSHCS was selected out of 12 other hospitals and health system submissions. Each video was reviewed by conference attendees who ultimately made the final decision as to which videos received the top honors. To view the video you can visit the Good Shepherd Health Care System YouTube or facebook page.
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Good Shepherd Health Care System (GSHCS) is a progressive non-profit community health system located in Hermiston, Oregon founded in 1954 by a group of well-minded community members wanting to make an impact on the community by providing health care services in the form of a fully functioning acute care hospital. Accredited by Det Norske Veritas, GSHCS has grown to provide inpatient care, emergency services, same-day surgery, health education classes and events, and a wide range of outpatient imaging and lab services. Additional services include primary and specialty care offered by the Good Shepherd Medical Group, Good Shepherd Clinic Pharmacy (with locations in Hermiston and Boardman), Home Health/Vange John Memorial Hospice, Home Medical Equipment retail outlet, and the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation.
