Within our Walls: May 22, 2023

CHI St. Alexius Health Carrington held its 12th DAISY award celebration on May 5, 2023.

Karen Munkeby and Brenda Hoeckle were this year's nominees. The 2023 DAISY award winner was Karen Munkeby. Her nominator had this to say about her: I got fantastic care from Karen when I was recently hospitalized. She made me feel special, like I was the only patient she had. Congratulations, Karen! We are very fortunate to have her work at CHI St. Alexius Health Carrington.

On May 9, 2023, awards were given for Provider of the Year, Nurse of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Employee of the Year. We had several nominations in each category. CHI St. Alexius Health is very blessed to have top notch employees who show dedication and outstanding work ethic each and every day. We are pleased to announce this year's winners in each category, and what their nominators said about them:

Provider of the Year: Ryan Keffeler-Ryan has been a great addition to our CHC team. He comes to work and has a positive attitude. Ryan takes extra time with patients to explain things and answers any questions they have. He treats every patient with courtesy and respect, regardless of time of day.

Ryan offers suggestions for process improvements and is respected by nursing staff. He is a great provider. He is friendly, kind, and respectful. Ryan brings suggestions forward, and is not afraid to offer his opinion when asked. He is well respected by the other staff. He is thorough, and makes sure his patients are well cared for.

Nurse of the Year: Haley Lura - I nominated Haley for the Nurse of the Year award. She is cross trained and multi trained to help in the hospital and in Same Day care helping with scopes. She volunteers to pick up on the floor when they are short.

In the clinic, Haley does all the stress tests. She works with Dr. Bruderer when he is here. She is willing to work with all the providers to fill in and is very efficient. When she is the team nurse, she works on everyone's tasks to help out with all providers. All providers enjoy working with her as she is very pleasant.

Many compliments have come from patients that she is very nice and helpful. I feel that Haley is very deserving of this award. She has shown true kindness, compassion and is an example of what humble represents. She picks up shifts without complaint, works various different nursing positions and knows each position very well. Haley works each of these positions without complaint, and is always showing patient's kindness, respect and compassion that they deserve.

Manager of the Year: Casey Zink - She is the reason our department runs so smoothly. I feel comfortable going to Casey with any concerns or questions I may have. She is hardworking and a very dedicated manager. Casey handles stress and difficult situations with grace. She may not be at ease on the inside, but she is calm and collected on the outside. She pitches in to help whenever needed and is a great example of a good team member.

Casey holds many different qualities that make her a great manager. She is humble, kind, understanding, knowledgeable and respectful and conservative towards her department. In recent tech/work flow issues, Casey showed each of these qualities. She was knowledgeable in the issue and possible fixes and relayed this information in a respectful manner. Casey advocated for her staff in the process and found a solution to make their current process more efficient. This was a frustrating situation, but Casey had a very humble, kind and respectful demeanor while conducting this meeting.

I have also seen her show nothing but kindness, respect and compassion towards every patient she encounters. She is a true example of our values here at the facility. Casey is simply one of the best! Her department runs smoothly. She takes accountability for her department, and any change that needs to take place.

Whenever an issue is encountered, Casey takes the time to research what is happening, and what is the best solution. She brings suggestions forward in a positive way, and does not get flustered.

Employee of the Year: Rebecca Pretzer - I nominated Becky Pretzer as the Employee of the Year. She is always willing to help when anyone asks for anything. If you have computer issues, she is willing to help out. She is always pleasant. With any locums, she is always there to help them get through the system. Becky is a great listener when you stop in her office. She helps out in the facility with many events when needed. She is always upbeat and smiling and promotes our facility well.

She does this along with many other things. Becky does more little extras than anyone realizes. She's always willing to lend a helping hand and does so with a smile and kind words. New employees are welcomed and made to feel at home. She keeps our department on board with meetings we serve and any changes that occur. She's always there to assure me I'm not alone when I feel like I'm losing it.

Carrington Health Center is so lucky to have this lady. Becky is a huge help to many people. She does random acts of kindness all the time without being asked. She promotes teamwork and positivity. She willingly offers suggestions for improvements, or ways that CHC can foster a good image in the community. Becky helps keep me on task when I am super busy. I am so appreciative that she chooses to work at CHC. She is a tremendous asset to us all.

If given the opportunity, please congratulate these staff members and thank them for their dedication to our hospital and community.