Co-workers Honored for "Living Our Values

Each year, Mercy Hospital Jefferson honors five co-workers for consistently modeling Mercy’s values of dignity, justice, service, excellence and stewardship.

Many deserving co-workers are nominated each year for their outstanding compassion. Here are the Living Our Values Award honorees for 2020 along with the nomination explaining how they model Mercy's values.

Dignity: Kassie Mills

“Kassie goes above and beyond for those patients who are homeless, depressed, crabby or just plain not having a good day (or year). She has a soft spot for these patients. She makes people feel welcomed, understood and safe in her care. She serves them with compassion, respect, and is non-judgmental. She spends time talking to these patients to not only help relay pertinent details to the providers, but to lift the spirit of the patient. It is clearly evident that she truly cares for the patients. It is remarkable to watch a person that is fulfilling her calling and taking such good care of our patients. There have been numerous incidents that I have personally witnessed her going above and beyond to help her patients. I have witnessed her bringing a bottle of water and a boxed meal to a homeless person sitting on our bench out front. Calling a family member to help arrange a ride. Spending extra time to answer all their questions or ease their anxieties. It is a pleasure and an honor to work with her!”

Justice: Sam Temperato

"Sam is attentive to the needs of patients, co-workers and the entire community in his role as house supervisor. He courageously responds to situations that include threats of violence or allegations of abuse. He is quietly committed to do what is right for every person, especially those who are vulnerable or at risk."

Service: Shawn Stromberg

“Shawn has captured the hearts of everyone at Mercy Jefferson. He delivers messages from the ministry level with team-building language both for leaders and his team. He is always immediate in his service to solve a problem. He is rounding all the time to make sure there are not problems that come up to fix. He makes a very fast paced world tolerable with a homegrown personality that is infectious. He also has the heart of Mercy frequently providing or requesting prayers that are from the heart. I enjoy every time I even get to talk to him in the hallway.”

Excellence: Jamie Stout

“When we arrived at the OB floor we were greeted by all the friendly staff and were ushered into a delivery room. Upon shift change we first met Jamie. To say the least, we were impressed. I have been in EMS for almost ten years and have worked alongside many nurses, but this one stood above the rest. She took a stressful and nerve-wracking time and made it a pleasant experience. Her demeanor and attitude put both my fiancé and me at ease. She made a hospital stay feel truly like home. When she would walk into the room, it was like having an excited family member there with us. When we had questions, she never failed to answer them. When we needed something, she never failed to grab it for us. In my opinion, she went above and beyond not only as a nurse but as a human being. If we are to have another child I will absolutely request her to be our nurse. She is truly amazing.”

Stewardship: Joe Copus

“Joe is a great co-worker to work with. His motto is service. He focuses on finding immediate solutions and finding inventive solutions that hold service and solution in line with stewardship. He will always present a cost-effective way of dealing with a situation, but also always is brutally honest about where money needs to be spent to properly solve a problem.”