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Employees make the difference at New Ulm Medical CenterThere are amazing things happening every day at New Ulm Medical Center – not just the exceptional patient care and the kind of activities that hospital and clinic patients see and feel when they visit the facility. It is often the “behind the scenes” work that make it the kind of place employees enjoy coming to every day. Last year, the New Ulm Medical Center introduced a new way to recognize the remarkable employees that make the facility more than just a place to work. The Uncommon Caring Recognition Program selected its first quarterly award recipients in December. Nomination stories ranged from employees who went the extra mile for patients in difficult situations to employees who always make sure to bring a smile to the faces of those they encounter.
From the 13 nominations, two employees were finally chosen for the award by the medical center’s Employee Pride Team: Dietary Supervisor Sarah Groebner and Substance Abuse Services Coordinator James Johnson, Jr.
“Nominations came from all areas of the hospital and it was a very difficult choice,” said Jennifer Brehmer, leader of the Employee Pride Team. “We know that a large sampling of the public is able to see day in and day out the compassion and skill exhibited by our nurses, physicians and other staff who deal directly with patients in the clinic and hospital. So, to have one employee chosen who isn’t always in the public eye and another who deals with patients outside the clinic and hospital setting demonstrates the commitment and caring that is present throughout our staff.”
Sarah Groebner was nominated by the staff she supervises every day. “She is a true strong and silent leader that we all respect and admire,” they said. Groebner has seen the department through changes in the last year such as implementing more food choices in the cafeteria, and “room service” offerings for patients. “She has encouraged her staff to use their creative talents in decorating the cafeteria and dressing up the patient trays on holidays and birthdays.”
“In the past month, she has come in to work several times and found out that a staff person has called in sick, so she has helped the morning staff by delivering patient trays. Then she left to make arrangements for her children to be picked up from day care and returned to work in time to deliver lunch trays and work the afternoon/evening shift so the late cook didn’t have to work alone meeting the needs of patients and staff,” according to the nomination form.
James Johnson, Jr., or “JJ” as most everyone knows him, is “a well-respected professional in substance abuse treatment not only locally, but also in the state of Minnesota and on a national level, serving as a state representative to an organization representing substance abuse professionals,” said Johnson’s nominator Steve Schneider, Manager of NUMC’s Behavioral Health department. “Through his dedication and tireless work, more people with addictions are receiving treatment and are finding a new life in recovery.”
Schneider highlighted the work that Johnson did in September 2007 during National Recovery Month, coordinating and arranging for a number of events to draw attention to the value of treatment for people suffering from addiction. “JJ has done much over the past several years to create greater visibility of the treatment services available through NUMC, and to develop systems that result in people with addictions being more consistently referred for treatment, leading to considerable growth in our treatment services.”
“Both these recognized employees are a prime example of how much work goes on every day at New Ulm Medical Center that is seen and felt throughout the community,” Brehmer said.
In late January, it was announced that Johnson was also one of only 15 employees across all of Allina Hospitals & Clinics to be awarded the Allina Uncommon Caring Award – an annual award given to those who embody Allina’s highest ideals and have advanced the organization’s mission most profoundly through their leadership or individual contributions.
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New Ulm Medical Center
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