Innovation

Lorna Jackson Manager, Lovington Wellness Center

Nominated by Patient I would like to bring your attention to one of your dedicated employees. After having a total knee replacement, and awaiting a manipulation of the knee, I went to the Lovington Wellness Center to ride a stationary bike. Upon entering the center, Lorna greeted me and we had an in-depth conversation. She asked how my new knee was doing and I told her I had come the week prior and was discouraged because I could not ride the bike with my new knee. She was concerned that I was discouraged and continued to encourage me to try again.

She left the front desk and walked with me up the stairs. I had not been upstairs since surgery, so it was slow going. Lorna got on a bike next to me as I tried to ride. She saw my concern, as you can only adjust the seat up, down, but not forward and backward. Lorna went into the classroom and brought out a Spin Bike for me to try (Innovation), as you can adjust many things on this bike. She stood beside me as I got on the bike, and helped me adjust it to fit me. She proceeded to stay beside me to make sure I was okay. We continued to talk about my knee replacement and I was talking about scar tissue build up and battling that. She went back downstairs and came back with a roller to help me roll out my muscles. Before leaving my side, Lorna asked if I was okay and if I could get off the bike safely. Lorna spent 45 minutes to an hour with me and I appreciate how helpful she is and feel like I can approach her and ask any questions I might have. Lorna is a true asset to Nor-Lea team at LWC.

Compassion

Dane Person Physical Therapist, Nor-Lea Outpatient Services

Nominated by Patient I would like to bring to your attention a compassionate employee at Nor-Lea Physical Therapy Department. I had a total knee replacement in November and began seeing Dane approximately 2 weeks after surgery (my prior therapist left). Dane listens to my concerns and questions that I have regarding my care and he engages me in conversation during my therapy, as this keeps my mind off the pain. He has worked me into his schedule anyway he sees that he can.

After a manipulation of my knee, I was to attend therapy every day for 2 weeks, not only did he see me for those days, but he also allowed me to use the bike and Game Ready on weekends. Dane is very knowledgeable in the area of physical therapy and the other employees in the department come and ask him for advice or confirmation. Dane is like by those in his department. Many days I would have like to have quit, but he continues to encourage and push me and there are days when a few words have left my mouth due to pain and lots of tears have been shed, but I continue to go to therapy. Dane is a great asset to Nor-Lea.

Nominated by Patient Whoever said, “Getting older is not for the faint of heart”, knew what they were talking about. I am very nervous about doing anything medical; doctors, lab work, anything. I had cancer so now that is all I see. However, it had gotten to a point where it was so painful getting dressed, I had to do something. I heard about the free assessment from Therapy, and decided to go. Dane made me feel so at ease and he settled my soul. He talked me though the evaluation process, why I was having the pain and that he could help me get back to normal. He does not know that he made me cry, in a good way. I was so frustrated with my 62-year-old self, and just knew I would end up in a wheelchair. Dave never made me feel insignificant or like I was a number. He sat down and listened, answering countless questions. When you have had cancer, you ask questions with every look, poke and prod. With one session of painful stretching, I felt so much better and could see an immediate difference. He was so patient and compassionate.

Nominated by Patient Dane’s knowledge and expertise of addressing my care and rehabilitation of my broken humerus/shoulder injury is an answer to my prayers. He listens and then answers/explains all my questions and has helped my have confidence in my recovery. His methods of physical therapy have helped with the pain, deep ache, and muscle cramping. Dane is very professional, kind, and compassionate. He encourages and builds a rapport with his patients and makes it his goal to help all of his patients. I greatly appreciate his expertise and dedication to my physical therapy process. Thank you Dane!

Compassion

Ronald Hopkins, D.O Primary Carey Physician & Medical Officer, Lovington Medical Clinic

Nominated by Patient On 1/23/2023, early morning, I tried to convince my husband to let me call his GI in Lubbock to get a same day appointment, as my husband had been feeling unwell for 2 days. On that Monday morning, my husband wanted to see Dr. Hopkins, stating if he goes to Lubbock they will only send him back to Lovington for labs and CT. My husband stated Dr. Hopkins will order these and I just don’t feel up to driving to Lubbock and back. My husband is not a complainer and I’ve seen him look worse, so I called Nor-Lea and obtained a same day appointment.

Dr. Hopkins examined my husband and he ordered labs and a CT, during his lab draw, X-ray called and said my husband should come immediately for CT. PA was already obtained, thanks to Dr. Hopkins and then we picked up antibiotics! Dr. Hopkins called that evening with lab results and called again early the next morning to inform us of CT results. He informed us my husband needed to go to ER for IV antibiotics and to not wait, even offering to drive us to the ER due to heavy snow the previous evening.

We drove ourselves to the ER and Dr. Hopkins called to make sure we arrived. ER staff let us know Dr. Hopkins spoke to the ER Dr. and they knew he had to be shipped. Barry was taken care of and IV antibiotics were provided. Unfortunately, we ended up signing our AMA, only because Covenant was on diversion. UMC had accepted my husband, but his Specialists do not have privileges there. Due to my husband’s complicated history, we had to go to Covenant and by that time the roads had cleared and we were able to drive with no problem. When we arrived, staff told us someone had called ahead.

The thing is, we had seen the labs the evening before and CT report early that morning, before Dr. Hopkins called. We were trying to make a decision of what to do. I tried calling Dr. Kharrat’s office but they were closed. If Dr. Hopkins had not called and been so insistent, we would have waited until the next day. That evening in Covenant ER, I noticed his face becoming flushed and he started developing a fever, his right side becoming extremely red, swelling becoming worse. They immediately ran more tests and started him on more IV antibiotics. I knew then, if not for Dr. Hopkins we might have waited. My husband would have certainly had a much worse outcome. Thank god for Dr. Hopkins! He listened to My husband and based on his thorough assessment, his attention to detail; and his amazing communication we received early medical help. By going over and beyond, my husband was taken care of, even offering to take us to ER. my husband had his stent changed and after 5 days of IV antibiotics, he was discharged and is now doing better.

Compassion

Myrna Gomez Certified Nursing Assistant, Lovington Medical Clinic

Nominated by Vanessa Loya, Lovington Clinics Manager Myrna displays the true definition of compassion and what it means within Nor-Lea culture by putting patient’s first and always displays a servant attitude. She has worked with Dr. Homer’s pod for over 4 years and Dr. Homer’s patient satisfaction scores have been consistently over the 88th percentile for the last 6 months. Myrna is a true representation of what it means to have a servant heart and genuine compassion for her peers and patient community.

Adrianna Torres, Myrna’s coworker, states that a diabetic patient came in for an office visit and had been fasting all day due to having a CT done. It was after lunch and Myrna went to the cafeteria to get him something to eat because she knew as a diabetic he must eat. In addition, a patient came in for a visit, her daughter accompanied her, this patient and daughter struggled with money and even live without running water. They come from Seagraves, TX via Nor-Lea transportation, and had not been able to eat lunch. After the appointment with Dr. Homer, they still had to see Dr. Duba, Myrna went to cafeteria to get food for patient and her daughter. Myrna is always going above and beyond for patients.

Shyla Urias, Myrna’s coworker, stated if they haven’t eaten all morning because they had to fast she will get them lunch. She also buys her patients birthday gifts at the Gift Shop, so before they leave their appointment, they have a birthday present. When patients are cold, she gets them blankets to be warm. Myrna makes it easy to talk to; she has a kind loving heart and makes everyone around her feel special and understood.

Accountability

Matthew Whitaker Network Specialist, Nor-Lea Hospital District

Nominated by Alyssa Byrd, Radiology Manager I want to recognize Matt for all the work he has put into helping get the radiologist up and going with Power Scribe when we have encountered multiple issues getting this project off the ground. The radiologist not only have a computer here on campus they have one remote computer for each radiologist. This has been no easy task to get them set up.

The day after we went live, the Radiologists encountered issues from their remote location and Matt worked with them to resolve the issues. He also worked to get a laptop set up just in case they were still having issues with their desktops. We have had minor issues here and there and Matt has jumped in and helped them in any way he could. He is a true demonstration of accountability.

Matt has continued to put in a lot of work troubleshooting the issues we continue to have with our radiologist computers. He has made multiple trips over to the radiologist apartment to work on the computer as well as the computer in the reading room, even troubleshooting with the radiologist until 10:00 that night when he was not the IT Tech on call.

Accountability

Thalia Soto Certified Nursing Assistant, Medical/Surgical Inpatient Wing

Nominated by Gina Quesada. Director of Inpatient Services I am submitting Thalia for an Accountability award regarding our long-term patient of 8 months. There are numerous instances, I remember during this time, that Thalia most definitely deserves to be recognized for her exceptional care and accountability that she displayed in caring for this patient.

In the Inpatient department, I only staff one Medical Assistant/CNA as our average daily census usually requires one, but during this time we had the extended patient. Thalia always ended up caring for this patient on a daily basis. Thalia also grew very emotionally close to him and honestly, I can’t even tell you why because I can give you a list of reasons why she should have been resentful, angry, and scared to care for this patient.

Thalia was hit in the face, causing her glasses to fly off, she was punched in the stomach not once but multiple times, she was kicked in the chest, spit on, called a LOT of explicit names, pinched, and had her hand and fingers pulled in every direction.

After all these issues, she helped plan the patient’s birthday party, pitched in and bought clothes and shoes, decorations, cake/ice cream, because that was his favorite. She even pitched in for a pair of Crocs to match her and Kristal’s, taking the patient on many walks around the department and even put the patient to work cleaning monitors and IV pumps.

The day that we had to sit on a call for a potential court order to find placement, Thalia looked at me with tears starting to form and said “I can’t go in there with you guys, I’m sorry. It makes me sad to think of him leaving.” Fast forward to the day we were told he had a discharge date, Thalia volunteered to make the 4 hour trip to ensure the patient made it to his destination safely and to say goodbye.

Of all the staff that deserve to be recognized for her care and compassion for this patient, Thalia deserves this this recognition for the physical pain she endured and never got angry or threatened to quit, all because she understood that this patient was not intentionally acting out his aggression.

Accountability

Kristal Tabarez Medical/Surgical Coordinator, Medical/Surgical Inpatient Wing

I am not the greatest at rewarding staff for doing their job but in this case I cannot fail to mention the extra care and accountability that Kristal showed toward a long term patient that we had here on Med Surg. The staff was frustrated, indifferent and sometimes felt hopeless in caring for a patient that we had not been trained to care for, nor did we expect to deal with the things they dealt with in caring for this patient.

Through the 8 month ordeal, Kristal always stayed positive and compassionate toward this patient, understanding the dynamics of this disease and always assigned herself to take care of this patient on top of her charge nurse duties EVERY time she worked. Kristal helped plan a birthday party and she and a couple of other staff members went all out. They made his favorite meal that he constantly asked for, relentlessly every day. Cheeseburgers!! She purchased party favors, decorated his room and pitched in to purchase some shoes, clothes and toys to keep him occupied.

As if that was not enough, after being called a LOT of colorful names, hit, punched in the chest, stomach and spanked (patient thought it was okay to do so). Kristal became tearful when she found out that the patient had finally been court ordered to be transferred to an appropriate facility. Kristal’s comment was “I’m going to miss him and I have grown to love him and care for him”.

When arrangements were being made for patient to be taken out of town, Kristal said she wanted to accompany patient on transfer whether it was her scheduled day to work or not. Again, for the day of transfer Kristal and a few others purchased patient a brand new set of sweats, a winter hat and new socks to make the trip, brought snacks to keep the patient occupied and did everything she could to make sure patient transition was seamless.

Empowerment

Holly Willard, CNP Board Certified Nurse Practitioner, Lovington Student Health Center

Nominated by Angelica Snyder, Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Colleague Holly has been a great resource at our Lovington Student Health Center to community, staff and to myself since I joined the team! She has all the character traits that deserve to recognition by our entire organization.

Coming into this much larger organization than my previous employer, Holly empowered me to take ownership of my position and role and allow me to navigate and grow She does the same for every person who comes in through our doors whether it be staff or patients. We share many patients, many of which struggle with anxiety or difficulty in advocating for themselves. Feedback I often receive, is how Holly took the time to speak to them directly and gave them a safe space to communicate their own symptoms and what they are actively doing to help themselves. This gives them confidence to communicate more and often empowers them to enter medical appointments without the need for support from their parent/guardian.

Per Nora, her Co-Worker, Holly has a great relationship with her patients/students. She follows up with students and talks to them about their education. Here recently she had a good talk with a student that was interested in the medical field. Holly made time to get the student information on college programs. Some of our former student will make time to come by for visits to see and talk to Holly about their accomplishments. Many parents trust her to visit with their children to guide them in the right path.

Alexis De La Cruz, Holly’s MA, says working with Holly has encouraged and empowered me to pursue my medical career in the near future. I personally feel and see her genuine interest in wanting everyone who sets foot in her office to be the best version of themselves, physically and mentally. Holly is always responsive to patient needs as evidenced by her ALWAYS responding to patient messages even if it is after hours for medication refills or care recommendations. I have witnessed her compassion for patients and professionalism in dealing with unsatisfied patients to give them the best possible care and put them at ease in knowing what was going on with their child, leading to them establishing care with her

Empowerment

Patti Ann Ancell Volunteer, Auxiliary & Nor-Lea Cancer Center

Nominated by Jordan Benard, Director of Business Development & Community Relations Many do not know what all Ms. Ancell does as she does it all humbly and behind the scenes as that’s just Patti Ann! Ms. Ancell is an Auxiliary Volunteer as well as a Nor-Lea Cancer Center Volunteer. Beyond Nor-Lea, Ms. Patti is a Lovington Municipal School Board Member, Light of Lea County Board Member and serves on the NM School Board Association for the New Mexico Athletic Association.

For Nor-Lea Auxiliary, Gift Shop, she is the reason all your favorite snacks and drinks stay stocked. I’ve run into Ms. Ancell in Lubbock at Costco and Sam’s loading up and Albertsons late at night trying to find a specific Red Bull flavor that everyone likes. She does this on her own time, own dime and using her own gas. Her daughters have said they walked into her house on weekend hoping to find their mom relaxing for once but instead, her living room floor is COVERED in sacks, full of treats and drinks, and she is on the floor adding the prices and stickers to everything!

In the Cancer Center, Ms. Ancell is quick to not only take shifts but to fill shifts when others are not able. She will work full days when most of the volunteers work half. She is not idly sitting, either, but helping patients get fitted for wigs or prosthetics, filling water bottles, getting trays from cafeteria or speaking with patients to help their time fly by.

Those who see how hard Ms. Ancell works do not mean to make such humble and loving volunteer uncomfortable, but hope it serves as a boost of energy and acknowledgement that we see you- we see all the sacrifices you make for our workforce and community and we are very appreciative. Your dedication and service serve as a role model we should all pursue. Thank you for your compassion and heart of service!

Empowerment

James Long Senior Product Manager, Robins & Morton

Nominated by David Shaw, Chief Executive Officer James started with Robins & Morton, 2/3/1997. His first project with R&M was at Marshall Medical Center in Guntersville, Alabama. James worked out of the Nashville office from 2000-2001. Then he transitioned out of the office and back to an on-site Senior Project Manager for a client, Wellmont, in Kingsport, TN.

His first project for NLGH started in August of 2013 where he has been ever since. Total value of the projects James has been involved with in his 26+ years at R&M is over $657 million.

Nor-Lea and I are fortunate that James Long agreed almost 10 years ago to come to this flat and dry land to invest his talents in our community. He has overseen a number of new construction projects as well as several renovations of existing space. The entire time he has been at Nor-Lea he has been a gentleman and has ensured that his team has lined up with our culture.

Not only has James overseen construction projects for Nor-Lea: but also, he has been a staunch supporter of our community activities. Helping citizens with needs such as ramps and upgrades to make homes safe for vulnerable patients. He has actively participated in food and toy drives. He has also seen to it that his organization sponsors events such as the Rotary Scholarship and Foundation Golf Tournament.

One of the most admirable traits that James, in both the business and personal sides of his life is his ability to build relationships. Our team adores him and his team would go to battle for him. James has empowered many young men to be great men in the construction industry. He has also empowered Nor-Lea to be a great organization with the ability through his talents to serve our community more effectively.

James could have retired a decade ago; but instead he came to Nor-Lea and changed our lives and our organization. James and his wife Sandy live just north of Nashville on a farm they bought with their son and his family. James your retirement is well deserved and you have lived a life that has positively affected many.