Sunshine Award Honors Exceptional Service at Mercy Jefferson

Congratulations to Shannon McGough for earning the Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care she provides as an occupational therapist at Mercy Jefferson.

A co-worker nominated Shannon by writing: “Shannon was treating patients on Surgical 1 when she discovered a patient laying supine, silently aspirating. Shannon acted quickly alerting the attending nurse who repositioned the patient and provided airway clearance. Shannon’s quick actions saved this patient’s life.”

Congratulations to Elizabeth Kuykendall for earning the quarterly Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care she provides as a speech therapist with our acute rehabilitation team.

A patient nominated Elizabeth by writing: “Elizabeth went above and beyond setting up a laptop in my room so I could see my granddaughter’s state softball game. They were tied up in the 9^th inning and ended up winning! I am so thankful to her.”

Congratulations to Kevin Marquart for earning the quarterly Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care he provides as an MRI technologist with our imaging team.

A co-worker nominated Kevin by writing: “Kevin Marquart is a very loyal and dependable MRI co-worker who recently showed his true character in a desperate time of need. One weekend, our MRI technologist who was supposed to work Saturday plus take call for Saturday and Sunday called out sick. I called around to see if any of the other MRI technologists could help with coverage, but unfortunately, no one could help due to it being the last minute. The only co-worker we could not contact was Kevin. At that time, imaging management reached out to administration, house supervisor and emergency department staff to let them know we would not have MRI coverage until Monday morning. This would delay inpatient exams and cancel outpatient exams for the weekend. God was watching over our MRI department that day because one hour later Kevin called back and said that he had a lunch date with his son but would delay it until a later time. With Kevin’s faithful dedication to his work, he decided to come in to cover for his sick co-worker and imaged eight patients, including all the scheduled outpatient exams that were cancelled but were called back to come in. Praise God for such good co-workers.”

Congratulations to Madonna Short for earning the quarterly Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care she provides as a food services tech with our nutritional services team.

A co-worker nominated Short by writing: “Picture this: a Saturday after 3 p.m. I have had a rough day. Just now grabbing something to eat, I’m starved, tired, hungry and exhausted. But Madonna came over and gave me a sweet smile. She made a special sandwich for me and was so kind. I appreciated her so much in that moment. She even said a few words of encouragement. Thank you!”

Congratulations to Jennifer Gaia for earning the quarterly Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care she provides as an occupational therapist.

A co-worker nominated Gaia by writing: “One morning, Jen entered a patient room to begin a therapy treatment and noticed the patient was still in bed. This was not a normal behavior for this patient. Jen then said a teasing remark to the patient to which the patient would normally tease back. The patient didn’t do that, so Jen knew something was wrong. Jen checked the patient’s blood oxygen level which was very low. She yelled for help, and she called for a rapid response. Help arrived and it was quickly noted that the patient was experiencing a STEMI (heart attack). The patient went for an immediate head CT and cardiac catheterization. By lunch time, the patient was in an intensive care unit bed after receiving a stent to clear a large blockage. If Jen hadn’t immediately reacted, this patient may not been able to spend any more time with their family.”

April 2022

Ryan McCowen, MRI technologist, earned the quarterly Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care he provides at Mercy Hospital Jefferson.

Several co-workers nominated McCowen by writing: “While at lunch, we witnessed Ryan selflessly take time out of his lunch break to go outside to help an outpatient who had been struggling to get down the sidewalk while using two canes. Ryan waited with that patient until their family member returned with a wheelchair. Ryan also proceeded to walk both the patient and family member to the front entrance. We believe the patient would have fallen if Ryan had not seen him and helped when he did.”

Matt Thompson earned the Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care he provides with patient transportation.

A co-worker who serves as a patient care associate nominated Thompson by writing: “I had a patient who needed to be transferred to another unit. All day, the patient was making inappropriate comments towards me and his nurse. I asked Matt to help us by transferring the patient as soon as possible… He agreed immediately. Matt is always willing to help us anytime.”

Anwar McElhaney, sonographer, earned the Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care he provides in the cardiology unit.

A patient, who also happens to be a co-worker, nominated McElhaney by writing: “I had to come and get an ECHO done. Being a co-worker, I was a little reserved about having it done here at Mercy Jefferson. Anwar put me at ease right away and was professional throughout the whole test. I was very impressed with him as a person and as a co-worker.”

Sara Thomas-Barnes, speech therapist, earned the Sunshine Award for the extraordinary care she provides.

A co-worker nominated Thomas-Barnes for her actions that went beyond the speech therapy she typically provides. Thomas-Barnes arrived for a speech evaluation on a wound care patient who had come out of surgery only a few hours earlier. She noticed the patient’s wound needed attention and called the operator to find out how to track down the appropriate wound care team members. The wound care nurse and physician were beyond grateful for Thomas-Barnes proactive approach to get the help they needed. 

Mimi Kramper earned the Sunshine Award for her dedication as a social worker with the rehab therapy team. A patient nominated Mimi by writing:

"Mimi is indispensable! She has been there for me navigating appointments, transportation, arranging for home health and making sure the insurance company has given its approval. But aside from doing her job with excellence, Mimi also takes a minute or two to sit and talk with her patients, share new information and see if there's anything else that could make a patient's stay easier - like a phone charger borrowed from the chaplains' office. Thank you, Mimi."